


Rock Bottom

by dream_maker



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:13:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4812809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dream_maker/pseuds/dream_maker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fast forward a fews years... Zach's life is sort of a mess and he realizes what he's missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Living the Dream... Or Not

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking (too much!) about what's happening with Zankie since Boomers, Cancun, and Zach's first YouNow broadcast after he returned. I'm still not sure what to make of it all but writing always helps me sort things out so ... here ya go!

“What a fucking day,” Zach muttered under his breath as he threw his keys onto the kitchen table. He shuffled to his room and stripped off his suit, leaving it in a heap on the floor in the growing pile of dirty laundry. He pulled on a bathing suit, no shirt, then made his way back into the kitchen, grabbed a beer and plopped down on the couch. He turned on a basketball game and stared at the large plasma TV, mindlessly petting Tiger, and not really paying any attention to what he was watching.

What was he going to do now? God damn his fucking temper. He finally had a steady job in a bank as an Assistant Manager. It didn’t pay great but he earned bonuses and commissions when he sold mortgages, processed loans, or opened new accounts.  He’d been at the job for eight months, the longest he’d held down a steady job since Big Brother ended.  He had a great rapport with customers but he didn’t get along terribly well with the bank manager, Rick.  Rick the Prick as Zach thought of him. He was an uptight asshole and watched over Zach like a hawk. Zach hated him.

That day, Zach had spent the whole morning doing paperwork, helping walk-in customers, and making some calls to potential mortgage customers.  A bit before his lunch break, he heard his phone beep and saw that Logan had sent him a snap. Logan had gone home with some chick he met at the club the night before and was secretly videotaping her as she climbed out of bed naked walking toward the bathroom. 

Zach was snickering at the snap, then videoed himself saying (quietly), “You betta weeerrrrkkkk, dude! Nice ass on that bitch!” As he sent the snap, he looked up and Rick the fucking Prick was standing _right_ in front of his desk.

“You gotta be kidding me Rance,” he hissed in a loud whisper. “My office. NOW.”

Zach mumbled _shit_ under his breath as he followed Rick toward his office in the back of the bank.

“Close the door,” Rick barked.

Zach did so then sat in one of the dark leather chairs in front of the desk. Rick was seated behind his large imposing desk, hands folded in front of him, a look of fury in his eyes.

“Zach, I have warned you more than a dozen times not to be on social media while you’re working. What you just did was completely inappropriate and unacceptable. You were taping yourself saying something vulgar - to one of your lowlife friends I’m sure. What the hell were you thinking?”

“It was just a few minutes before my lunch break. What’s the big deal?” Zach snapped. “No one heard me, it took about 10 seconds. I got a hell of a lot of work done already today,” Zach replied defiantly. “Why are you so fucking uptight? You don’t even let me _breathe_ , dude!”

“Zach, it is completely inappropriate for you to send crude Snapchats during the work day. And it is even more inappropriate, and some might say really stupid, to talk to your supervisor like that,” Rick replied coldly.

“Yeah, you love pulling that supervisor card, don’t you _Rick_? Love holding it over my head that you’re just a couple years older than me and yet you’re my boss. Well, fuck you!” Zach had completely lost his temper. This asshole had gotten under his skin for the last time.

Rick stood up abruptly, “Zach you’re fired. You’ve been warned many times about using social media at your desk and yet you continue to break the rule. You’re being insubordinate and your behavior is unacceptable. Go collect your belongings and leave immediately. Your final paycheck will be sent to you.”

As Rick walked over to open his office door, Zach stood and looked at him incredulously.

“You’ve GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME?” he hollered. “You’re FIRING me?? I’m good at my job! I bring in business. The customers love me.  You need me here!”

“Ha,” Rick responded. “There are at least a dozen more Zach Rances out there that I could hire by the close of the business today. People who are ambitious and courteous and know how to behave appropriately in the work place. Bottom line Zach – you ain’t special. Now collect your belongings and leave.”

Zach was furious and seeing red. He bolted past Rick, shoving him slightly with his shoulder as he exited the office. He stopped at his desk and quickly gathered his personal belongings,

As he was heading out of the bank, he turned back toward the tellers and shouted out, “Peace out bitches! It’s been real!”

The employees and customers in the branch looked worriedly at each other and toward Rick. As he stormed out of the bank, Zach could hear Rick assuring everyone that it was okay, there was nothing to worry about.

Zach wandered aimlessly through the Miami streets. He really didn’t want to go back to the apartment yet. He stopped in Chipotle and got a burrito bowl, then went to a pub next door and got a beer. Finally after a couple hours, he headed home to the apartment he shared with Logan and Erik.

He had begged his parents for months to let him move in with Erik and Logan in Miami.  They said they absolutely would not allow it until he had a steady job and could support himself. Once he got the job at the bank, they finally relented and he made the move to Miami, finally getting out of his parents house just before his 27th birthday. Erik and Logan even agreed to give him a break on the rent. He had the smallest room and no parking spot but that was fine with him.

Now that he’d lost his job, Zach was terrified that his parents would make him move back home. He couldn’t take it, being back in his childhood bedroom. He had been miserable there. But then again, he wasn’t all that happy in Miami either. Yeah, they had a sweet apartment. Yeah they went out at least four or five nights a week to party at one of the local hot spots. Yeah there were tons of women to choose from. Sometimes he even did choose someone and hook up. But his heart was never really in it. He was sick of the club scene and felt like he had very little meaning or depth to his life.

The job had been good experience but the truth was Zach hated sitting at a desk all day.  It just wasn’t what he was meant to do.  He came out of Big Brother with big dreams of a career in the entertainment industry. He had hundreds of thousands of fans and certainly the most opportunities of any houseguest that season except maybe Frankie. But Zach had fucked up every single opportunity. He just didn’t have the attention span to stick with things nor the temperament to kiss ass in order to get his foot in the door for any entertainment opportunities.

He thought that he had a pretty good thing going with YouNow. As a partner he got a nice share of all the tips that were sent to him by fans. At the height of it, he was bringing home thousands of dollars a month, which was sort of a blessing in disguise. On one hand it was great to find a unique way to make money. On the other hand, he had no motivation to move forward in his life and was stuck in a box that consisted of golf, the gym, the beach, family dinners, and Tiger.

At some point though, the YouNow revenue began to dry up. It escalated after Zach’s infamous Mexico trip.  Zach knew that Frankie would be in Florida in September of that year. They had made plans to see each other. Zach had also been given a free stay at a resort in Cancun in exchange for publicizing the hell out of the resort on social media.  He invited his friend Molly to come with him since it was a trip for two.

He and Frankie ended up spending a lot of time together over that weekend. The first day Frankie flew into Florida, Zach was at his house within an hour of his arrival and his bed 20 minutes after that. Theirs was a very unconventional relationship. They had incredible physical chemistry and whenever they were together they ended up in bed. Zach had fought the urge early on, afraid that he’d be asked for more that he wasn’t ready to commit to or deal with. But they both realized that a traditional monogamous relationship just wasn’t meant to be, and so they enjoyed what they had when they had it and went on with their individual lives when they were apart. They loved each other but couldn’t really find a way to move forward as a couple so they accepted it for what it was.

Part of the reason they decided to Snapchat and YouNow the hell out of their evening together at Boomers was because they knew the Zankie brand wasn’t going anywhere.  They still had a rabid group of fans convinced they were soul mates. And they knew that Zankie still held a fascination for Big Brother fans in general. Frankie had suggested to Zach that if they could show CBS and other networks that they still had a large following, maybe they could get some sort of joint project or TV show. It was a long shot but seemed worth the effort. And might give them a chance to spend more time together.

What Zach hadn’t anticipated was that Frankie was going to go all Zankie af for a week before his trip to Florida and for several days after. Frankie was having fun with it, tweeting things like he was attracted to people with pink hats, favoriting a bunch of Zankie-related tweets, and, four minutes after midnight on Zach’s birthday, serenading him with _Happy Birthday_ , shirtless wearing a pink hat. The Zankie fans nearly lost their collective minds, thinking they would be coming out as a couple any minute.

Of course Zach had told Frankie that he was going to the resort in Mexico with his friend Molly for his birthday. Frankie knew that Molly was an old friend who was occasionally a friend with benefits. They were more friends than anything else, but occasionally when they drank or got high they would hook up.  What Frankie didn’t anticipate was Zach’s suggestive and trolling Snapchats showing that he was with a mysterious woman. The picture of her on his lap, both of them only wearing towels, and the photo of the rumpled sheets gave the perfect suggestive narrative.

But Zach also made sure that what he put on Snapchat that night was completely over the top, and he assumed that most fans would realize it was all a big joke and they shouldn’t take any of it too seriously. Molly was in on the whole thing too. They had all but scripted the Snapchats that he posted. Zach thought it was hilarious.

Boy did he misread the fandom. People were furious and incredibly disappointed in him. He got defensive in his first YouNow broadcast after the trip. Instead of just apologizing for any hurt feelings and explaining the situation, he defended his behavior and basically had a meltdown and tantrum worthy of a temperamental four year old.

Things on YouNow were never the same after that. Many of his big fans who had supported him with tips and gifts disappeared after that broadcast. A lot of people had tired of the whole Zach Attack act. And while he still had some loyal young fans, the numbers had dwindled to the point that eventually he just stopped doing YouNow altogether and retreated into a more private life. This was expedited by the fact that he and Frankie were never able to get any Zankie project off the ground and so eventually stopped any type of public Zankie interaction.

After the Mexico trip and the way Zach handled himself, Frankie pulled back. He loved Zach and had been content with the unconventional nature of their relationship, thinking that someday if Zach ever came to terms with his sexuality, maybe they could make a go at it. He had loved Zach ever since Big Brother and he had no doubt Zach felt the same way. But the bottom line was that Zach was problematic. And Frankie was at a point in his life where his celebrity was climbing and he had to always be aware and conscientious about his public profile.  He told Zach that he thought they were better off ending their physical relationship and just being friends. Eventually their contact dwindled and after a year or so, they completely stopped talking or communicating at all.

Zach’s life got very small. He retreated from all of his Big Brother friends and anything outside of Florida. After almost two years of golf, gym and home, his parents finally said no more. They forced him to get a job and bring in some money, charging him rent and making him contribute to other household expenses. He started out just waiting tables again, but when the opportunity to move in with Erik and Logan arose, he finally got serious and found himself a “real job” that would pay enough for him to move out.

And now it was all gone. Still tight-fisted and frugal, he had socked away some money but it wasn’t going to last for long. The idea of having to move back with his parents was horrifying.  Zach didn’t want to think about it. So he had another beer. And then another. Soon he had polished off five beers. And it was only 3:30 in the afternoon. Erik and Logan were probably going to go out right after work, so Zach knew he would be alone for awhile.

He had pretty much stopped smoking weed but he still had a small stash in his room. And if there were ever the perfect time to get high, it was now. Zach reached into the back of one of his dresser drawers and pulled out an Altoids tin that he used to store his pot, along with a small pipe and lighter. He filled up a bowl, leaned back against the dresser and flicked the lighter. As the weed burned and the sweet scent filled the room, Zach inhaled deeply.  It was very potent and after just one hit he felt the familiar sensation of his body letting go and his head getting foggy.  Another two hits and he was completely faded.

As Zach sat on the floor leaning against the dresser, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander.  He felt lost and melancholy. Empty. And the truth was that it wasn’t just his recent unemployment but his life in general. It was like everyone around him was living in color and his life was in black and white. He was missing joy, purpose and love.

A picture of Frankie flashed in his mind. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen him since their night at Boomers. That had been over three years ago. He tried never to think about Frankie because it made his heart hurt.  But the pot had weakened his resolve and he suddenly found himself intensely missing that Mohawked man.  Zach turned around and opened the same dresser drawer to re-stash his weed and paraphernalia. He then rummaged around in the drawer, feeling between all of the t-shirts and shorts that were jammed in there until he felt the cold metal he was looking for.

He pulled out a picture frame containing the black and white photo of him and Frankie that Ariana had taken on finale night. As he stared at the picture, he was almost embarrassed at how blatantly obvious it was that they were in love. No wonder the fans had been in such a frenzy.  Zach’s heart was aching and his eyes blurred with unshed tears as he suddenly realized what was missing from his life. There had been many lovers since Frankie, mostly women but a few men too. None of them had come close to making him feel the way he felt when he was with Frankie.

But Frankie wanted no part of Zach in his life. He had cut off their contact and stopped calling and texting ages ago. Zach knew that he had been dating a lot. Tabloids and entertainment TV made sure everyone knew, Zach thought grimly.

Zach wondered if Frankie still had the same phone number.  Impulsively he pulled out his phone and opened his contacts.  Frankie was still in there of course. He decided the number was probably correct and impulsively pressed _Send Message_ then began to type.

_Hey Frankie. It’s Zach. Is this still your number? Was just thinking about you, hope you are well, dude._

He nervously hit send then waited, his head still swimming and foggy from the pot.  A couple minutes later his phone buzzed with an incoming text:

_Hi Zach. Yes this is still my number. What can I do for you?_

Zach: _Nothing. Just wanted to say hi. I’m at my apartment, kinda wasted, just thinking about you. It’s been a long time. I miss you._

Frankie: _Zach I can’t do this again. Sorry DUDE. But I don’t think this is a good idea. You should probably just delete my number._

Zach: _Frankie wait, I really want to talk to you. I miss you, just need to hear your voice._

Frankie: _No. Just go sleep it off. You’ll feel better when you sober up. And realize this was a bad idea. Goodbye Zach._

Zach knew Frankie wouldn’t reply to another text so he called him. Of course Frankie didn’t answer and the call went to voice mail.

_Frankie, come on. Please talk to me. I just need to hear your voice. I’m having a really shitty day. I…. I lost my job and I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing in my life. Please call me back. Please._

Zach waited a few minutes but Frankie didn’t return his call.  He called again and the call was sent to voice mail after one ring. He left another message but was beginning to wonder if Frankie blocked his number. He remembered when Frankie did that to Caleb after Caleb started making homophobic remarks publicly.

Zach began to panic. He suddenly felt like he had to talk to Frankie or he was going to die.  But Frankie was ignoring him and Zach knew that wasn’t likely to change. Suddenly Zach grabbed his laptop and began searching flights to New York. He knew he was going to pay a fortune to schedule a flight for the next day but he’d put it on his credit card and worry about it later. He only booked one way. He was flying out the next morning at 9am.  He could be at Frankie’s apartment by early afternoon. He finally felt like he had some purpose to his life. The fog lifted a little bit. A few colors begin to wash over the black and white. He figured that when he showed up at Frankie’s door, Frankie would have to talk to him. Right?


	2. Shining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching up with Frankie...

Frankie glanced at the mirror in his dressing room to see how his hair and make up had held up. Flawless, he thought as he smiled wearily at his reflection. He had just finished taping his appearance on _The Late Show with Seth Meyers_.  He had been making the rounds to a variety of talk, news, and entertainment shows to publicize his new Netflix series, _Straight Up with Frankie_. His team had produced 13 episodes of the half hour sitcom, which were being released the following week onto Netflix.

The show was loosely based on his real life. Frankie starred as Frankie Grant, a gay struggling dancer and actor living in New York, surrounded by an eclectic group of friends. The writing was irreverent and creative, and each episode included at least one dance or musical number, performed by Frankie and/or some of his “friends.” Some of his real life friends were also in the show, including Lauren and Jon-Erik.  They were having a blast with it.

Frankie had been in Los Angeles for a week promoting the show in interviews with national publications as well as appearing on shows such as _ET, The Talk_ , and _Access Hollywood_. Now he was in New York, where he had been on _The View_ , the _Howard Stern Show_ , _Good Morning America_ and now _The Late Show_. He was exhausted but exhilarated. 

It had been quite a journey to get to this point.  Since starring on _Big Brother_ , Frankie had worked steadily to capitalize on that exposure. Following his first crazy year out of the house, when he returned to Broadway, went to Africa to build a school, appeared at numerous award shows, judged a dance show, and had a TV special, he had taken a step back to try to figure out exactly what he wanted to do.

He loved Broadway and had been in two productions since _Rock of Ages._   He had returned to Africa two more times to build additional schools. Mostly, he focused on his social media content, increasing his YouTube videos, collaborating with other YouTube personalities for larger productions, and working hard to bring his YouTube subscriber number to almost 1.5 million and doubling his Twitter followers to over two million.

As far as his personal life went, Frankie was rarely lonely. He dated and/or hooked up a lot although hadn’t really gotten serious with anyone. After the tumultuous ups and downs of his relationship with Zach, he was a little gun shy about falling in love. His relationship with Zach had been incredibly unique and important to him. It held a special place in his heart but Frankie knew without a doubt that putting an end to it had been the right choice.

While he had been fine with their unconventional open relationship, the fact was that Zach’s uncertainty and craziness created a lot of anxiety for Frankie. He couldn’t deny that he had fallen completely in love with Zach in a way that he’d never been in love before or since. He kept those memories close to his heart but was relieved that the turmoil was part of his past.

When they had been together in Florida in September 2015, the magic of Zankie came rushing back to both of them. They spent much of that weekend together, although the fans only knew about their “reunion” at Boomers. Late that night, with Zach sleeping next to him at his Boca home, Frankie posted a long status about “breaking the mold.”  It include the sentiment that, “Not everything can be fit into a category, not people, not hair, not friendships. Some of these things are NOT like the others… And that’s fantastic.”

Frankie was subtly telling fans that they should not try to understand his connection with Zach because it defied any type of conventional relationship they might fathom. And at that point, Frankie was fine with it, he really was. He understood that Zach was not ready to come out and Frankie would not be the one to force him. They both appreciated their unique love and cherished anytime that they could be together.

But when Zach trolled the fans the next week with his snaps from Mexico, Frankie had to step back and be more pragmatic. Zach’s actions, although not intentionally mean-spirited, had caused quite an uproar in the fandom. Frankie, ever conscious of his public image, knew in his heart that it was time to cut the strings and stop with the “are they aren’t they” nature of their relationship. It was heartbreaking for him, but Frankie was tough and always looking ahead. He knew it was the right move and the right time, and he successfully put Zach and Zankie in his rear view mirror.

And now his decision to move on and keep moving forward had paid off. Frankie was anxious to be back on TV but not just for a special or an awards show now and then. His mom actually came up with the idea for a show based on his life. She pointed out to him how unusual and amazing his life was and thought it would be a great basis for a show.

His agent found him a team of writers to work with to develop the concept and write scripts for the first few episodes.  They then sent them to Netflix, thinking it would be a good fit for the show.  Netflix liked the concept and gave them the green light to hire a production team, cast it and film the pilot.  They also arranged to film the show in New York which Frankie loved since he preferred it so much over Los Angeles. 

The whole creative process had been amazing and invigorating. Netflix loved the pilot and immediately signed them up for a 13-episode season.  Frankie felt really good about the project because, while the Grande name may have helped them get into the door of Netflix, he knew the show was being lauded due to its own merit and having nothing to do with Ariana.

The publicity tour prior to the show’s release had been taxing. Frankie was always “on” whenever he was on camera and his enthusiasm and gushing were authentic. But he was ready for a break.  Thankfully this had been his last appearance for awhile. It was Tuesday and he had a whole week off. He was scheduled to be on _The Today Show_ the following Tuesday, the day before the show was being released.

Frankie gathered his personal belongings then met Lauren and Jon-Erik outside. They had been in the audience and Seth introduced them as two of the actors on the show. Frankie loved that they were all working together. Lauren was incredibly talented, not to mention one of his absolute best friends in the world. And he and Jon-Erik were as close as brothers. The project allowing them to work together was a dream come true for all of them.

They climbed in the car that _The Late Show_ had provided for them and headed back to Frankie’s apartment. Doug was there waiting for them. He had order Chinese takeout which arrived moments after they did. They were planning to eat "linner" (or whatever it is one calls a late afternoon meal) then hang out with a bunch of other friends who were coming over later to party and watch _The Late Show._ Doug had gotten all the beverages and snacks organized for the informal party. Frankie was grateful everyday that Doug was still by his side. He was not only his assistant but one of his best friends and greatest confidantes.

The four of them sat around the table talking about their appearance and about how excited they were about the show’s upcoming release. They were relaxed and happy. Frankie was close to delirious from exhaustion and cracking everyone up with his Seth Meyers impression.

A little later as they were waiting for more friends to show up, Frankie felt his phone buzz in his pocket.  He pulled it out and saw a text from a Florida area code.

_Hey Frankie. It’s Zach. Is this still your number? Was just thinking about you, hope you are well, dude._

Frankie’s stomach dropped as soon as he saw the word _Zach_. What the fuck?

He stood up suddenly to excuse himself, “Be right back, I’m gonna change into some clean clothes.”

Lauren looked at him quizzically, “You okay Frankie? You look pale all of the sudden.”

“Yeah I’m fine,” Frankie said, forcing a smile. “I just feel really grimy. I’ll be out in a few. I may take a quick shower.”

Frankie went into his room, shut the door and sat down on his bed. What the hell was Zach doing texting him? Should he reply or just ignore it? He really had no desire to renew the friendship, but he felt guilty not responding at all.  What was it about this man that always made Frankie’s heart twist into knots? The fact was that Zach was a mess and Frankie couldn’t risk having someone like that in his life, not when his career was taking off. He knew deep inside that the insane love they had experienced was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love but that the high highs were always followed by some crazy low lows. He was at a stage in his life where he just needed to keep things on a more even keel. He decided to reply but kept it very business-like.

 _Hi Zach. Yes this is still my number. What can I do for you?_  

He hoped the tone of that text was polite but distant.  However, Zach’s immediate reply saying that he just wanted to say hi and that he “missed” Frankie was an immediate red flag. Frankie knew he had to cut him off immediately.

_Zach I can’t do this again. Sorry DUDE. But I don’t think this is a good idea. You should probably just delete my number._

Zach pleaded with Frankie to talk to him. He admitted that he was wasted so Frankie knew that this was just a weak moment for him and would likely be something Zach would regret.  Frankie quickly replied that this wasn’t a good idea. He suggested that Zach sleep it off.

Frankie stood up and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. His phone started buzzing in his hand. Zach was calling him. Oh Lord.  Frankie let it go to voicemail. He was tempted to ignore the message Zach had left, but curiosity got the better of him. 

 _Frankie, come on. Please talk to me. I just need to hear your voice. I’m having a really shitty day. I…. I lost my job and I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing in my life. Please call me back. Please._  

Okay well that explains it, Frankie thought to himself. Zach was down in the dumps because he probably fucked up again, leading to him losing his job. He got wasted and then nostalgic. Frankie just didn’t need any part of that. 

He quickly blocked Zach’s number. He was afraid that if Zach was persistent about texting and calling him, he would eventually cave in and agree to talk to him. That was just a can of worms he had no desire to open again. He put his phone down and got into the shower.  He was determined to freshen up and have a great time at his party tonight with his friends. He would just force himself to stop thinking about Zach.  He’d done it before and saw no reason why he couldn’t do it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter... Zach heads to New York to try to make things good with Frankie.
> 
> I hope you're enjoying this fic. Let me what you think!!


	3. Chasing the Isotope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach arrives in New York and tries to figure out how to win Frankie back.

Zach sat nervously in the boarding area, not even aware that his left knee was bouncing up and down as he waited for his flight to board.  Once he made the decision to fly to New York the night before, he had rushed around to get everything organized. He quickly filled in Erik on what was going on, saying that he had lost his job and was going to New York to visit AJ and to hopefully see Frankie. Erik didn’t ask questions, just said that he and Logan would take care of Tiger and to let him know when he’d be coming back.

Zach called AJ after the flight was booked. AJ was still living in New York, having finished law school and gotten a job at a Manhattan law firm.  He and Zach didn’t see each other often, but whenever they did, it was as if no time had passed by. AJ was one of the few people who knew the whole truth about Zach and Frankie. He had witnessed the highs and lows of Zach’s brief move to New York in January of 2015.  And AJ was still friends with Lauren and still saw Frankie now and then. He said that of course Zach could stay with him. He had a small office in his apartment that had a sofa bed. Zach was welcome to stay as long as he wanted.

“Thanks so much, bro,” Zach said gratefully. “Just to fill you in, I got fired today – my fault, I guess. I lost my temper with my idiot boss. It may be a blessing in disguise though. I spent the rest of the day thinking about my life and realizing that working in a bank in Florida is really not what I should be doing. I… well, I miss Frankie. I want to see him, talk to him. He won’t take my calls so that’s why I’m coming to New York.”

“Um,” AJ said hesitatingly, “Are you sure about this? You and Frankie basically lost touch almost two years ago. And Frankie is the type of guy that when he’s done, he’s done. That’s the feeling I get from Lauren anyway. What makes you think he will even talk to you?”

“I have no idea, AJ, but I just need to try. Right now it’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”

“Well, okay, I guess. Whatever happens, I’m really looking forward to see you.”

AJ told him the best way to get to his apartment and arranged to leave his key with one of his neighbors who would be home during the day.

By 8:40 the next morning, Zach was onboard his flight. He had a window seat like he preferred and immediately put on his headphones so that the woman sitting in the aisle seat wouldn’t try to talk to him. The flight was fairly empty so thankfully the middle seat between them was empty.

Zach was still a nervous flyer. He watched tensely as the plane sped down the runway and lifted into the air. Once they were at cruising level, Zach relaxed somewhat.  He pushed his seat back and closed his eyes.

He was far too revved up to fall asleep. His mind was filled with memories of the times he and Frankie spent together during the year after Big Brother.  He thought about the September weekend when Frankie came to Florida, allegedly to see Nonna, but also to spend a lot of time with Zach.

In the weeks prior to that trip, Frankie was having fun on social media with Zankie. He posted a Zankie picture as a #MCM. He sent the fandom into a frenzy on the night he live tweeted America’ Best Dance Crew, joking about doing the “Flying69” with Zach, having a Zankieween 2.0 and then finally, typed "pink hats" to answer a question about what he was attracted to. Needless to say, the Zankie fans went completely nuts. Zach didn’t know how to handle it so ultimately decided to just ignore it.

Within a couple weeks of that evening, Frankie did fly to Florida for a vacation. He was looking forward to seeing his beloved Nonna but also being with Zach for some uninterrupted time together.

Zach was at the Grande home less than an hour after Frankie arrived. He had spent the morning checking the airline website making sure Frankie’s flight was on time, pacing in his bedroom, checking the time until he knew Frankie would’ve landed. As promised, Frankie sent him a text as soon as he could turn his phone back on.

Frankie: _Okay baby, we just touched down._  

Zach: _Thank God! It feels like that flight took about 16 hours._

Frankie: _Patience was never your strong suit._

Zach: _Just hurry up and get home. Text me when you’re in the car and I will meet you at your house as soon as I can. I love you babe._

Frankie: _Love you too – I can’t wait to see you. ALL of you._ [winky emoji ] [eggplant emjoi] 

Within 20 minutes, Zach was on his way to Frankie’s. His family wasn’t home thankfully so he didn’t need to go into any long explanation about where he was going or when he’d be back. They knew Frankie was in town and that he would be seeing him a lot.

Zach rang the bell, standing outside the impressive grand front door to the Grande manor, as he liked to think of it. He heard footsteps then the door opened wide and Zach was greeted by Frankie’s dazzling smile and open arms. Seeing Frankie in person after they had been apart for awhile always took Zach’s breath away. Bottom line, he was stunning and his spirit shone right through him.  Zach walked into his arms and wrapped his own arms tightly around Frankie’s waist lifting him up as he kissed his neck then his ear, his cheek and finally his lips.

They spent the next two hours in bed. As Zach blankly watched as the plane soared over the clouds, he felt his face heat up, recalling their passionate reunion. Clothes being ripped off as they worked their way toward Frankie’s room.  Messy kisses, hair pulling, moans, and traveling hands. They were both so desperate for one another, it was as if they were quenching a thirst after a dozen years in the desert. Zach had pushed Frankie to the bed and immediately taken his swollen cock into his mouth, worshipping the chance to bring Frankie pleasure. After a few moments though, Frankie took control and flipped them over, then tortured Zach with a slow descent down his body, first nipping and biting at his ears and neck then taking each nipple into his mouth until they were hard, then finally teasing his rock hard cock with slow languid licks and swirls, finally taking him all in.

And then Frankie had moved his hand toward Zach’s ass and inserted a lubricated finger to begin stretching him out. He took his time with first one then two then three fingers until Zach was begging to be fucked.  Finally Frankie had fucked him and fucked him hard. They were lost in the moment and in the passion. It was a reunion for the ages, that’s for sure Zach thought to himself.

The rest of the week had been more of the same. Zach went back and forth to his home when Frankie spent time with Nonna. His mom didn’t ask questions and Zach didn’t offer any details. Zach and Frankie did make their Boomers “date” public, posting countless Snaps and culminating with the infamous YouNow broadcast.  When Zach had watched everything later, he was shocked at how obvious it was that they were in love. He hadn’t meant to be that evident and he was nervous about it even though their intent had been to keep the “Zankie brand” alive. Hence was born the boneheaded idea of trolling the fans with Molly when he went to Mexico. Which had been the beginning of the end with Frankie. And now here they were.

After landing at JFK, Zach worked his way into town and to AJ’s apartment building. He buzzed AJ’s neighbor who let him into the building and then into AJ’s apartment.  Once Zach was settled in, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He sent AJ a text letting him know he was there. AJ said he would try to leave work early and be home by 4pm.  It was just 2:00.

Zach rummaged around AJ’s kitchen and made himself a turkey sandwich. He sat at the small kitchen table with his sandwich and a beer along with a yellow pad he had thrown in his suitcase. Zach was still a big fan of making lists.  He needed to figure out how to surprise Frankie without being flat out rejected.

Zach was pretty good at surprises. He had infamously shocked Frankie and melted his heart at the stage door on January 16 after Frankie’s twitter meltdown. Then some months later, he had surprised him again at the BB17 Premiere even though Frankie knew that Zach would be there. Both surprises were captured on video and became cherished relics of the Zankie fandom. 

But Zach knew that showing up at Frankie’s door was not the right solution this time.  He decided he needed to butter him up and win him over from afar.

Zach suddenly had an idea. He had charmed both Nicole and Victoria in the Big Brother house with his infamous “Roses are red” poems.  Surely it could work on Frankie too, but Zach knew he’d have to be patient. He excitedly flipped the yellow pad to a fresh page.

_Rose are red_

_Violets are blue_

_I know what my life is missing_

_Frankie – it’s you._

_I’ve fucked up a lot._

_This is not news._

_But if I turn things around_

_I know I can’t lose._

_I know that you’re done_

_You’ve made that quite clear_

_But I don’t give up easy_

_As you will soon hear._

_Stay tuned…_

Okay, Zach thought, this is the perfect first step. He looked online for a local florist then placed an order for a small bouquet of red roses and violets to be delivered to Frankie’s apartment that evening with the poem attached.  Frankie would have no idea that Zach was in New York which is exactly how Zach wanted it.

Zach smiled with satisfaction after placing the flower order, then turned on the television to watch SportsCenter till AJ got home.

That night, AJ took Zach to a local diner just down the street from his apartment.  The waitresses all knew and loved AJ and they were treated like royalty.  As they chowed down their cheeseburgers and split a pitcher of beer, Zach excitedly told AJ his plan to win Frankie back. He recited from memory (of course) the poem he’d written earlier and told AJ that the flowers should’ve already arrived.

AJ just shook his head, “I hope this works dude. I know from Lauren that Frankie really felt he was finally over you. It didn’t happen easily Zach. I know he loved you a lot and it was hard for him to walk away but it was something he felt like he had to do for both professional and personal reasons. Frankie is really driven and a hard nut to crack, so I don’t know…”

“Well, if anyone knows Frankie’s nuts, it’s me,” Zach joked.

“Dude! Did you have to go there?” AJ asked laughing as he shook his head.

“In all seriousness,” Zach continued, “My life has been pretty empty since Frankie and I parted ways. I didn’t really ever put it together because I still identified as straight and I knew that Frankie and I were just too different to make it work. But everything I strived for, like getting a real job and moving to Miami with Logan and Erik, turned out to mean nothing. I’ve just been existing. Not really enjoying life, you know?”

“And then I realized,” Zach continued, “That maybe being fired from this job was the best thing that could’ve happened. Because it’s forced me to take an honest look at my life and figure out if this is the direction I want to keep going. And it’s not. I haven’t really been happy or joyful since I had Frankie in my life and I want that back. I want it so bad. And that job and living in Miami – I really sort of hate all of it.” 

“Well… if there’s one thing I know about you,” AJ admitted, “It’s that you can be very stubborn and very determined. So I hope it works. And whatever I can do to help, you know I’m here for you. I mean truthfully I’ve always been a Zank at heart!”

“Thanks dude,” Zach said with a smile. “I really appreciate your friendship and not for nothing, your willingness to put up with me for awhile living in your apartment. I promise I will be a perfect roommate!” 

“Ha,” laughed AJ, “I lived with you once, remember? Have you learned how to use a sponge or clean a toilet yet?”

“I think I can figure it out,” Zach said assuredly, smirking at AJ.

The next day, Zach slept in then decided to go get some groceries. He had seen a little market down the street so he loaded up on some fruit and vegetables, eggs, cheese, crackers, and some other staples and snacks.  After unloading the groceries and unpacking his suitcase in the drawers AJ had provided, Zach tried to figure what to do next.  He loved New York and it was a beautiful day. So he spent a couple hours just wandering the streets, stopping in stores, having a bite to eat, and just people watching. 

He worked his way to Central Park and found a quiet bench to sit on.  He opened his backpack and pulled out the yellow pad to write poem #2.

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_Are you ready for this?_

_It’s poem number two._

_I still think back often_

_To our Big Brother days_

_When I thought my love for you_

_Was merely a phase._

_Little did I know_

_That Zankie would be_

_An actual love story_

_That would define you and me._

_I went back and forth_

_Between panic and passion_

_It must’ve made you nuts_

_But you showed much compassion._

_And then I fucked up_

_With snaps from Mexico_

_And you felt that distance_

_Was the only way to go._

_I know why you did it._

_I know I was a fool._

_But I’ll win you back_

_And Zankie will rule._

Zach called the florist again and asked to speak to Abigail, the young woman who helped him yesterday. He ordered the same bouquet and she was kind enough to transcribe the entire poem once again.

The next day was Friday. He and AJ had plans to go out for some happy hour drinks followed by the Yankee game that evening, so Zach made his coffee and started working on poem #3 first thing in the morning.

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_Sexuality confuses me_

_But I don’t need to tell you._

_You had my number_

_From day number one_

_Knew that I loved you_

_Even when I wanted to run._

_An open relationship_

_Without many a rule_

_Worked for awhile_

_Till I acted a fool._

_I thought I’d be fine_

_That I'd hook up a lot_

_Hang out with my bros_

_And smoke lots of pot._

_But that life wasn’t great_

_In fact it was lame_

_I walked through the days_

_Like a zombie with no game._

_Insisting I’m straight_

_Try as I may_

_Sounds pretty empty_

_When I’m obviously gay._

_I hope that you’ll give me_

_Just one more chance_

_I promise I’ll give you_

_Your greatest romance._

Once again Abigail arranged for the floral delivery.  Zach decided to go back to Central Park and run then grab some lunch. He hadn’t worked out for awhile and felt like a good run would help clear his head. He needed to think about his next step too. He couldn’t afford to keep sending daily bouquets when he was trying to save money. Maybe in tomorrow’s poem he would ask Frankie to at least talk to him on the phone. He didn’t want Frankie to know he was in New York – yet.

After a good long run followed by lunch at an outdoor cafe, Zach headed back to AJ’s apartment.  AJ was only working a half day so Zach expected him to be home so they could get ready and head off for their evening

When he entered the apartment, he heard voices in the kitchen.  It sounded like AJ had a girl with him. 

Zach called out, “Honey I’m home,” as he rounded the entry way toward the kitchen. He shopped short in his tracks when he saw who was there.

“Lauren?”

“Zach. You need to stop sending the poems and flowers. You should just go back to Florida,” Lauren answered somberly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?? Sorry for the cliffhanger!! I promise not to make you wait so long for the next chapter.


	4. The Art of Persuasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frankie doesn't know what to think when the flowers and poems start arriving, but Lauren knows exactly how she feels when she gets wind of it.

On Wednesday, the day after Frankie’s appearance on Seth Meyers’ show aired, Frankie slept in late. The last of his friends didn’t leave until almost 3:00 am.  Frankie drank a lot at his party and ended up having a great time. The alcohol helped him temporarily forget about the texts from Zach and just enjoy being the center of attention as his friends celebrated his success. He danced and entertained and laughed and just lived in the moment.

Frankie finally forced himself out of bed at 9:30 and made a beeline straight for the kitchen to get a pot of coffee started.  After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he started to feel a little better. He poured himself a large mug of steaming coffee and turned on the TV to watch the end of _The Today Show_. 

He wasn’t really paying attention though as his mind wandered back to the texts from Zach.  It was so maddening! He had completely put Zach in his past. It hadn’t been easy but he finally got to a point after about a year of no contact where he didn’t think about Zach everyday and he stopped wondering what might have been.  True, he hadn’t had any significant relationships since then, but that had been mostly his choice. He was focused on his career and having the occasional hook up or a few dates with one guy or another was perfect as far as he was concerned.

He decided he needed to stay busy in order to keep his mind off of the texts. He called his mom and they met for a late brunch then did some shopping together. He ran home to change then went to a soul cycle class in the afternoon. By the time he got home around 5pm, he was feeling centered again. He was looking forward to a quiet night at home. Doug would be there and they were planning to order take out Italian and binge watching _Downton Abbey_. It sounded like a perfect evening,

He had just finished showering and getting dressed when he heard a knock on his door.  He was puzzled. Doug had a key and he wasn’t expecting anyone else.  He looked through the peephole and saw a young deliveryman with a flower arrangement.

“Hello, I have a delivery for Frankie Grande,” the man said when Frankie opened the door.

“That’s me, thank you so much,” Frankie said as he took the arrangement of red and violet flowers.

He brought the flowers into the kitchen and pulled out the card, completely baffled as to who would be sending him flowers. He thought maybe it was someone from Netflix congratulating him on the show or perhaps a little thank you from his agent. 

He unfolded the sheet of stationary from the envelope and his eyes opened wide as he began to read.

_Rose are red_

_Violets are blue_

_I know what my life is missing_

_Frankie – it’s you._

_I’ve fucked up a lot._

_This is not news._

_But if I turn things around_

_I know I can’t lose._

_I know that you’re done_

_You’ve made that quite clear_

_But I don’t give up easy_

_As you will soon hear._

_Stay tuned…  Zach_

Oh for God sake, Frankie thought to himself. He was completely flabbergasted. Had he not made himself clear the previous night? He shut Zach down completely in a text then not only ignored his call but blocked his number, which he was fairly certain Zach was smart enough to figure out.

He tried to ignore the part of his heart that was melting just a little bit at the _Roses are Red_ poem. He thought about Zach’s infamous _Roses are Red_ speech when he was on the block that was aired on the live Big Brother show and would long be remembered. In particular, Frankie smiled remembering how Zach rehearsed the speech literally hundreds of times to memorize it and how he and Frankie had recited it together in the backyard for some of the other house guests. And then Zach had amused live feeders with subsequent _Roses are Red_ poems made up on the spot to Nicole and Victoria. Frankie had to admit that he could never hear a _Roses are Red_ poem without thinking about Zach.

But this was silly, Frankie realized. Zach was sending him flowers from Florida implying that he wanted Frankie back in his life. What good was that going to do? Frankie just shook his head, put the flowers in some water and put the poem in a small drawer in his kitchen. He heard Doug’s key in the lock and went out to greet him, putting the flower delivery out of his mind.

On Thursday, he was up and out of the apartment early. He had a meeting with his agent and some of the Netflix executives to discuss the roll out of the show. After that, he met some of his Broadway friends for lunch then went to the gym to work out. It felt good to get back on a schedule again after all the travel he had been doing lately.  When he returned to his apartment. He was surprised to see yet another identical floral arrangement that had been left outside of his door.

He groaned internally as he scooped up the flowers, unlocked his door and headed straight for the kitchen. He pulled out the note and began to read, not at all surprised to see yet another Roses are Red poem.

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_Are you ready for this?_

_It’s poem number two._

_I still think back often_

_To our Big Brother days_

_When I thought my love for you_

_Was merely a phase._

_Little did I know_

_That Zankie would be_

_An actual love story_

_That would define you and me._

_I went back and forth_

_Between panic and passion_

_It must’ve made you nuts_

_But you showed much compassion._

_And then I fucked up_

_With snaps from Mexico_

_And you felt that distance_

_Was the only way to go._

_I know why you did it._

_I know I was a fool._

_But I’ll win you back_

_And Zankie will rule._

Well, Frankie thought, at least Zach seems to realize that he was the one who fucked up. Not that it made any difference, he quickly reminded himself. This whole thing was silly. Zankie may have BEEN an actual love story, but that was old news. All that Zankie was now was a distant memory. Zankie wasn’t going to rule anything anytime soon despite Zach’s poetry skills.

Frankie pulled out a bigger vase and combined the two bouquets into a larger colorful arrangement. He placed it in the center of his kitchen island then carefully put the poem in the drawer underneath the first one.

The next day, Frankie was getting ready to head out to the gym with Lauren when there was a knock on the door. Sure enough it was the flower deliveryman again.  Frankie opened the door. 

“Wow, it’s an early deliver today – it’s just past 10am!” Frankie said with a smile.

“Yes,” the young man answered, “the order came in early today so we decided to make an earlier than normal delivery. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, “ Frankie answered as he handed him a tip and took the flowers from him.

Knowing the routine, Frankie put the flowers in the vase with the previous day’s deliveries then found the envelope and pulled out the note. 

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_Sexuality confuses me_

_But I don’t need to tell you._

_You had my number_

_From day number one_

_Knew that I loved you_

_Even when I wanted to run._

_An open relationship_

_Without many a rule_

_Worked for awhile_

_Till I acted a fool._

_I thought I’d be fine_

_That I'd hook up a lot_

_Hang out with my bros_

_And smoke lots of pot._

_But that life wasn’t great_

_In fact it was lame_

_I walked through the days_

_Like a zombie with no game._

_Insisting I’m straight_

_Try as I may_

_Sounds pretty empty_

_When I’m obviously gay._

_I hope that you’ll give me_

_Just one more chance_

_I promise I’ll give you_

_Your greatest romance._

Frankie read through the poem two times, taking in each stanza. He’d been able to keep a distance from the whole Zankie thing with the first two poems, but he had to admit that it was starting to get to him. Zach was acknowledging he was gay – not that this was a surprise to Frankie, but Zach putting it there in black and white was jolting nonetheless. And also conceding that this life he had been so excited about – living the dream in Miami with his bros – was actually pretty empty and unsatisfactory. But still – what difference did it make? Zach was in Florida. And he was still problematic. And Frankie didn’t see anyway things were going to change.

At that moment, there was another knock on the door.  He walked over and let Lauren in.

“I was running early so I decided to meet you here. Hi!” Lauren said as she wrapped Frankie up in a big hug. Frankie’s return greeting was subdued so Lauren pulled away and looked into his eyes.

“What’s wrong Frankie?”

“Oh – nothing,” Frankie answered as he forced a smile on his face that never quite made it to his eyes.

“Please. You aren’t fooling me with that fake ass smile. What’s going on?”

Frankie let out a big sigh. “Zach.”

“Zach?” Lauren questioned, completely flabbergasted, “Zach Rance? What do you mean? You haven’t talked to him in like two years. What did he do?” 

In response, Frankie led Lauren into the kitchen and showed her the flowers.

“Red roses and violets,” he stated quietly. “Remember the poems he always recited in the Big Brother house.”

“Um yeah… of course. Does that mean these flowers came with a poem?”

“Well there have actually been three deliveries of flowers. And three poems,” Frankie responded quietly.

“Three?! Okay Grande – let me see them.”

Frankie hesitated.

“Now,” Lauren insisted.

Frankie walked over to the drawer and pulled out the first two poems, adding the third one to the bottom of the stack.

Lauren sat at the table and read through the poems. Frankie watched her face carefully. Her brow was furrowed in concern but she did appear to be hiding a smile a few times. Finally she looked up at Frankie. 

“So? What does this mean? Are we climbing back on this roller coaster again?” she asked.

“No! I mean, what good is it anyway? He’s in Florida; he’s living with those jerks Erik and Logan in Miami. He did lose his job though, so I don’t know…”

“Wait,” Lauren interrupted. “How do you know he lost his job? There was nothing about that in these poems. Did you talk to him or something.”

“Shit,” said Frankie, realizing he’d slipped up. “Well… he texted me the other night, when you guys were all here after the Seth Meyers taping.”

“Well that explains why you looked like you were going to vomit when you excused yourself for a shower,” Lauren replied sarcastically.

“Yeah. I replied a couple times to his texts, but he started getting all needy. And he was wasted. So I told him to stop contacting me and I blocked his number. I figured that would be that. But then he started sending these flowers and the poems and … I don’t know. I have to admit it’s kind of sweet, but it really can’t mean anything so I’m just trying to be chill about the whole thing.”

“Frankie… he’s going to break you down, I can tell. You were never able to resist that boy even though he brought you as much angst as he did love and passion. Oh boy. I really don’t know if this is such a great thing, I have to say. I mean it’s your life and I’ll always be here for you but you know the saying – ‘when someone shows you who they are, believe them.’” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Frankie acknowledged. “Look, don’t worry about it. Like I said he’s in Florida. I still have his number blocked and I’m not planning to unblock it. Let’s go.”

“Hang on,” Lauren said, “I need to use the restroom.

She locked herself into Frankie’s powder room, and quickly pulled out her phone to text AJ.

Lauren: _Hey – real quick, have you heard from Zach recently?_

AJ: _Well hi to you too. Um, yeah I have… why do you ask??_

Lauren: _I’m at Frankie’s and he’s been getting all these flowers and poems and shit from Zach. I don’t know, it’s not good. He doesn’t need this right now. Besides Zach is in Florida so wtf is he up to?_

AJ: _Well… not sure I should even tell you this. But Zach isn’t in Florida. He’s in NY, staying with me._

Lauren: _Oh shit. We need to talk. But I’m headed to the gym with Frankie so I’ll call you after._

AJ: _Okay sounds good. Don’t worry; it’s all going to be okay._ _  
_

Lauren: _Ha. This is Zach we’re talking about. It’s never okay._

 

Lauren finally came out of the bathroom.

“What took you so long? I thought you fell in,” Frankie joked.

“Very funny. I had a lot of coffee this morning, what can I say?”

“Ew, TMI. Let’s go,” Frankie said as he ushered Lauren out of the apartment.

After they finished their workout, Lauren begged off Frankie’s lunch invitation, pretending she had a hair appointment.

Soon after they parted ways, Lauren phoned AJ. He told her he was going to be home in a few minutes because he and Zach were going to the ballgame later. He said that Zach was out so she agreed to meet at his apartment to talk. 

They spent about 20 minutes discussing the situation. Lauren couldn’t believe Zach had actually come to New York. It was just like him to get this ridiculous idea in his head and impulsively fly hundreds of miles away on a wish and a dream.

“C’mon AJ,” Lauren argued, “This is Zach. He may think he’s in love with Frankie all over again, but how many times have we been down this road? I mean, I like the kid but he’s always a train wreck when it comes to Frankie and I just can’t stand by and watch Frankie go through another agonizing round with _Zankie: Are-they-or-aren’t-they?_ ” 

“I know how you feel and I totally get it,” AJ assured her, “But I have to say Zach seems to be really centered and focused on what he wants. Losing his job and realizing his Florida life isn’t all he thought it would be has made him rethink everything.”

“But he just lost his job like three days ago!” Lauren exclaimed. “A normal human being doesn’t just pack up and run off to a new city and an old lover after going through something like that. I just know that he will freak out on Frankie again and go running back to Florida with his tail between his legs.” 

“I understand your fears, Lauren. And certainly that’s a risk. All I can say is after being with him for the last few days, I really think he’s a changed man and he’s serious about this…”

At that moment they heard the key turning in the lock.  AJ said softly to Lauren, “That’s him. Please don’t freak him out.”

They continued murmuring to one another till the heard Zach walking toward the kitchen.

“Honey I’m home,” Zach called out cheerfully.

The smile on his face turned to surprise as he saw Lauren standing in the kitchen with AJ. 

“Lauren?”

“Zach. You need to stop sending the poems and flowers. You should just go back to Florida,” Lauren answered somberly.

Zach looked back and forth between AJ and Lauren, then glared at AJ.

“What did you do? Call her and tell her I was here? Fuck AJ, I thought I could trust you.”

“It wasn’t like that, Zach,” AJ responded. :”Lauren called me concerned about all the flowers and poems. I had to tell her you were here because she thought they were being sent from Florida and didn’t understand the purpose.”

“Does Frankie know I’m here?” Zach asked fearfully.

“No,” Lauren admitted. “I haven’t said anything. I’m hoping you will just fly home and he never has to know. You need to figure out your life in Florida. That’s where you’ve chosen to live and you and Frankie ended your relationship amicably two years ago. He’s doing great, he’s moved on and finally got over you. I can’t watch him go through this again.” 

“Through what?” Zach said angrily. “You think I came here to fuck with him, break his heart and run back to Florida?” 

“Well, let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Lauren snapped.

“Okay tell me this.” Zach said. “Was Frankie upset by the flowers and poems? Is he angry at me?”

“Well,” Lauren acknowledged, “I wouldn’t say angry. But confused and conflicted yes. I mean he has a new TV show being released next week and so much going on in his life; this just isn’t a good time and I feel very protective of him.”

“Lauren, you are an amazing friend to Frankie and I know he loves you like a sister. But with all due respect, it isn’t your job or place to protect him or decide who he should be with. I know what I’m doing; trust me. Don’t you think I know how much my past actions hurt him? I wouldn’t do that again. I had to come here to try to see him and explain. If he wants no part of me then I will let it go. But I would hate myself if I didn’t try. And let’s be honest, how could he resist?” Zach ended with a charming smirk. 

Lauren let out a big sigh, “Dammit Zach. I hate when you’re right. It’s not my place to interfere. But I can’t stand by and watch you get Frankie’s hopes up then vacillate as you decide whether you’re really ready for an out gay relationship. Because that’s what it has to be and you _have_ to be okay with that.  If you fuck with him and mess him up again, I will make you pay!

“I understand what the relationship would have to be Lauren, I promise. I really do.”

Lauren looked at Zach silently for a long moment, then opened her arms, “Okay fine. Now come give me a hug,”

Zach walked into Lauren’s arms and gave her a warm hug.

“Don’t worry it’s going to be okay,” he reassured her. “And I’m glad you know because now you’re going to help me figure out how to see him. I’m unemployed, I can’t afford to keep sending flowers!”

Lauren laughed then told Zach that she knew Frankie was going to be home the following afternoon because he had a washing machine repairman scheduled to come sometime between 12:00 – 4:00. Frankie had complained bitterly to Lauren about how frustrating it was to have to be available for four whole hours so she had agreed to come over with lunch and they were going to watch a movie.

“That’s perfect!” Zach exclaimed. “I’m gonna call you when we get home from the game tonight so we can figure out a game plan. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” Lauren sighed. “I can’t believe I came over here to insist that you get the hell outta New York and leave Frankie alone, and now you have me plotting with you to figure out how you’re going to see him and win him back. You still have the gift of charm and persuasion, Rance.”

“That I do!” Zach smirked in agreement. “I’ll call you later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're still enjoying this story - let me know what you think!


	5. Old Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach finally manages to get Frankie alone and plead his case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major angst.

Zach was up before AJ on Saturday morning. His head was spinning and he needed to get out and get some fresh air. He put on his running shoes, grabbed his wallet and keys and quietly left the apartment. As he jogged through the relatively empty streets he thought about the day ahead.

After he and AJ got home from the ballgame the night before, he texted Lauren to see if she was available to talk. She called him a few minutes later and they had worked out a plan for Zach to see Frankie.  Zach was tingling with anticipation.

He finished his run, then went into a local bagel shop, ordering a toasted bagel with cream cheese and apple juice. He sat down at a small table and stared blankly out the window at passersby as he realized the enormity of what he was about to do. Up until now, his plan to get Frankie back into his life had all been conceived from a distance but today was the true test. To be honest, Zach was afraid that Frankie might just send him away without speaking to him at all. That would be crushing and Zach was determined that it wouldn’t happen.

After texting Erik to make sure that Tiger was okay, Zach opened the draft email that he had been composing to his mom. He had not called his parents to tell them he lost his job and had impulsively flown off to New York to see Frankie. He could only imagine how that phone call would’ve gone. But he also knew that it would be highly disrespectful not to fill them in. He reminded himself that he was 27 years old and perfectly capable of making his own decisions.  He went over his draft one last time:

_Dear Mom:_

_I want to let you know what’s up with me. Hopefully you’re sitting down! You know your boy Zach, never a dull moment…_

_The first thing is that I lost my job earlier this week. My boss and I had an argument and I admit that I lost my cool. I was fired. You don’t have to tell me how disappointed you are in me because I am already plenty pissed off at myself. Except the truth is that losing the job made me realize that I really didn’t enjoy what I was doing or really like my life in Miami for that matter. Yes, I know I hounded you and Dad for months about moving there, but the truth is that I have been going through the motions but haven’t really had much joy in a long time._

_The good news is that I am as frugal as ever so I saved some money and will be okay for awhile.  The other news is that I am not in Miami right now. I am in New York. I’m staying with AJ. It’s a long story as to how I ended up here. Suffice it to say that I am trying to repair my relationship with Frankie. You know what we went through after Big Brother and the struggles I had. I am just trying to deal with all of that. I realized how much I missed having Frankie in my life and I’m hoping he feels the same about me, but I don’t know. He doesn’t know I’m here and I’m going to see him this afternoon. It could go very well or very badly._

_Anyway, I’m not going to be able to talk to you today so please don’t call. I promise to call you tomorrow and let you know more about what’s happening. Please don’t worry. I believe that things happen for a reason and I am determined to go for what I want, not settle for what seems acceptable. I feel really happy and centered for the first time in a long time._

_I love all of you and will talk to you soon._

_Zachary_

Satisfied with this final draft, Zach hit “send.” His mom did not check her phone obsessively for emails and rarely went on the computer on the weekends, so he didn’t even know when she would see it. He felt it was important to let his parents know where he was, but he really had no desire to talk it out right now. He had sort of glossed over the whole sexuality thing and wasn’t really up for a heavy-duty discussion about it.

Next, Zach opened his contact list and called the flower shop. 

A familiar voice answered the phone, “Blooms ‘n Things. This is Abigail.” 

“Hi Abigail, just the lady I was looking for! It’s Zach Rance, how are you today?”

“Oh hi Zach, I was wondering if I would hear from you again,” she said cheerfully. “Let me get a pen and paper so I can transcribe today’s poem.” 

“Oh no poem today,” Zach said. “In fact I am going to come in later to pick up the flowers myself. I’d like the same flowers that you’ve used for the past few days, but make this arrangement twice as big as the ones you’ve been delivering, okay?”

“You got it. What time will you be picking them up?” Abigail asked.

“Probably around 12 or 12:30. Will you be there?” Zach inquired.

“Yes! I’m here until 4 today. I am looking forward to meeting you,” she replied.

 “Great, me too! I’ll see you in a couple hours,” Zach said, then ended the phone call.  He finished up his breakfast then jogged back to the apartment. He had a couple hours to hang out with AJ then shower and get ready.

Frankie had a leisurely morning, sleeping in late and taking his time getting up and ready for the day. He had gone out the night before with friends, partying at The Box till the wee hours of the morning, so having a quiet morning and nothing planned all day sounded divine. He browsed through all of his social media apps while drinking coffee and eating breakfast. He fav’d some Instagram pictures and posted a “Good Morning” tweet with plenty of upbeat and colorful emojis.   Finally, just as he finished washing up and brushing his teeth, there was a knock at his door. Lauren came in, laden down with four full bags of groceries.

“Strigs, what are you doing? We aren’t having a party! I said to pick up a few snacks for our movie watching. Do you not know the meaning of _few_?” Frankie joked.

“I couldn’t decide!! I got popcorn, frozen chicken wings, mini pizzas, hummus & pita, ice cream, and four kinds of candy. Oh, and waters and Diet Coke.”

“Well thank God you got Diet Coke,” Frankie deadpanned, “Clearly you’re watching your caloric intake.” 

“Shut up and help me unload this stuff!” Lauren responded with a little shove. She looked at Frankie more closely and noticed his pajama pants and torn t-shirt. “Nice of you to dress up for me!” 

“Only the finest for you, my love,” Frankie replied with a smile.

Twenty minutes later they were cuddled up on the sofa, stuffing their faces and watching the latest Nicholas Sparks’ movie to be added to Netflix.  About 45 minutes into the movie, the washing machine repairman showed up. As Frankie let him in, Lauren quickly pulled out her phone and sent a text to Zach letting him know the repairman had arrived. Zach would head out shortly to Frankie’s building then wait for the next step in their plan.

Frankie came back to the sofa and they resumed the movie.  Just as the movie ended, and they were wiping their eyes from the predictable tearjerker, the repairman came in to say that he had finished. Frankie walked him to the front hallway where he wrote him a check and sent him on his way.

He came back into the living room, ready to start the second movie, but Lauren was on her feet with her purse hanging off her shoulder.

“Where are you going? You promised you’d stay through at least two movies and maybe three!!”

“I know! I dropped something off at the same-day dry cleaners down the street this morning and it closes in thirty minutes. I’m just gonna run out and I’ll be back before you know it,” Lauren said hurriedly as she made her way to the front door.

“Here, let me change and I’ll come with you!” Frankie offered.

“No you stay here. Get those pizzas and chicken wings cooking for the next movie; I’m ready to move on from the candy.” 

Before Frankie could respond, Lauren was out the door. He shrugged his shoulders, murmuring “well okay then,” as he headed toward the kitchen. 

Lauren exited Frankie’s building and looked to her left to find Zach waiting, with a large bouquet of roses and violets in his arms.

“Okay, he’s all yours,” Lauren said, “Good luck. I wish I could tell you it’ll be fine but I honestly don’t know.”

“Thanks Strigs. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Zach said sincerely.

“Oh please, it was no big deal,” Lauren said,

“Yeah, it really was actually. You have every reason to hate me and you could’ve made this really difficult. But you did the opposite. Frankie is lucky to have you as his best friend and I promise I won’t make you regret helping me!”

“Ah shucks. You’re welcome Zach,” Lauren said with a smile. “Now go get your man.”

Zach took the elevator to Frankie’s floor and made his way to the apartment door.  He took a deep breath, held the bouquet up so it was obscuring his face and knocked.

Frankie shut the oven door then walked to the door, calling out, “Strigs are you back already?”

Zach lowered his voice and replied, “Not Strigs. I’m here with a flower delivery for Frankie Grande.”

“Oh okay,” Frankie replied. He couldn’t believe Zach was still sending a daily flower arrangement. He looked through the peephole, but couldn’t see the deliveryman’s face due to the large bouquet that he was holding.  From his height and dark wavy hair, Frankie knew that it wasn’t the same short blonde man who had delivered on the prior days.

Frankie opened the door and cheerfully said, “Hello, I’m Frankie Gr—“

As Zach lowered the bouquet down, revealing his face, Frankie was stunned into silence.

“Hi Frankie,” Zach said quietly. 

Frankie stared disbelievingly for a moment before replying.

“Zach, what the fuck are you doing here?”

“I was hoping we could talk,” Zach replied. “Can I come in?”

“NO!” Frankie said firmly. “I don’t want to talk. I told you the other night that I’ve moved on. I don’t know what you’re doing in New York but I hope you didn’t come all the way here to see me. Besides, Lauren and I are watching movies all afternoon; she'll be back in a few minutes.” 

Frankie moved back inside to close the door, but before he could, Zach reached his arm up and prevented the door from slamming.

“Lauren knows I'm here. She's not coming back, Frankie. Please, just let me come in. Just let me say my piece and if you still want me to leave I will.”

Frankie stood with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes cold and furious. He couldn't believe Lauren had plotted with Zach to do this. He would give her a piece of his mind later.  

Zach’s heart sank thinking that Frankie was going to send him away without any discussion. But after an awkwardly long moment, Frankie moved back so the door was wide open and gestured for Zach to come in.

As they stood awkwardly in the front hallway staring at each other, Zach finally broke the silence by shoving the bouquet at Frankie.

“Here. For you” he said hopefully.

“Thank you,” Frankie said coldly. “No third grade level _Roses are Red”_ poem today?”  He walked toward the kitchen to put the flowers in water. Zach, stung by Frankie's mocking, followed him uncertainly. He watched quietly as Frankie pulled a large vase out of a cabinet and filled it with water, then added both the prior days’ flowers and the ones he’d brought today.  The arrangement was big and lush, adding a blast of color to Frankie’s ultra modern sleek kitchen.

Once he was finished, he looked up at Zach. They were standing on opposite sides of the kitchen island. Frankie seemed to be waiting for Zach to start talking.

Zach cleared his throat nervously, trying to gather his thoughts.

“Look Frankie, I know you didn’t expect to see me here and you told me over the phone that you thought it was a bad idea for us be in each other’s lives again. I want you to know that I totally get why you think that. For the past few years, I have been a fucking mess. And unfortunately, you had to put up with the brunt of it. But I’ve changed, I know what I want. And that’s you.”

“Zach, stop being ridiculous,” Frankie replied dismissively. “Every time we’ve tried to make a go of it, it’s ended in total disaster.” Frankie started counting off the reasons on his fingers. “You live in Florida and have no intention of ever leaving. You identify as straight. You have friends and family who have repeatedly demonstrated their homophobia and don’t support you as anything other than straight. Whenever we would have a good time together or be in a good place, you would sabotage it in some way forcing us to drift apart. Zach – it was too much work and we made each other crazy.”

“That’s not really fair, Frankie. Even you acknowledged that I had a tough situation, coming out of Big Brother with everyone questioning my sexuality and asking about you and our relationship. I didn’t even know what I was or what we were, and my family was completely baffled, telling me I had always been straight and they didn’t understand. And my friends – well we both know what they think of homosexuality.”

“Yes Zach,” Frankie replied. “All of those things are true. But you had over a year – a fucking year – to figure it out. I said I would wait, I would stay quiet and support what you were going through. And I did. Then what do you do? You taunt all the Zankie fans with our Boomers date, watch me go all batshit Zankie as fuck, then you run off to Mexico for a fuck fest with your pretend girlfriend.”

“It wasn’t a fuck fest and you know it,” Zach retorted.

“I know it and you know it, but the fans sure didn’t know it. They felt duped when you threw it in their faces after we got them all back on the Zankie ship. And what did you do? Denied everything and blamed THEM for being upset with you. Even if you think they should’ve known it was all a big joke, you could’ve at least acknowledged that you upset some of your biggest fans. I was embarrassed for you.”

“Oh yeah, Mr. Perfect, I forgot,” Zach shouted. “Shine bright motherfucker! Nothing you ever do is wrong and everything I do is. Give me a break. How about when we were in the house and you were all over me with the phony kisses and love but badmouthing me to everyone when I wasn’t around? Saying what a mess I was and how you couldn’t wait to get rid of me. “

“Oh my God Zach, are we REALLY going to talk about BIG BROTHER? It was a _game_. It’s been almost four years, MOVE the fuck on! And besides, you were shit talking me just as much so don’t even go there. That house makes everyone crazy and we all said and did things we regretted.”

“I had your BACK 100% Frankie. You were my ride or die!! And you threw it in my face and tried to get rid of me twice before you were finally successful. Yeah, it was a game. I get that. I’m over it. But to be honest, sometimes I feel like that dynamic carried over outside of the house. Like when we were together publicly, you were sweet and Zankie as fuck, playing it up. And when we were together privately, same thing – it was always great. But when we weren’t together and were leading our separate lives, there were always  rumors flying around that you were saying less than flattering things about me. You deny them, but I’ve usually found that where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

“Zach,” Frankie said with a loud frustrated sigh, “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Ninety-nine percent of the Zankie rumors were totally false. The big one that was true was that we did hook up. We made that pretty obvious on our own and neither ever really denied it. Oh and that it WAS indeed your hand! I mean, anyone who was paying attention KNEW that you weren’t straight. And most people were thrilled about it and ready to support us as a couple. But you couldn’t go there. And I couldn’t wait forever. So that’s it – there’s no reason to open old wounds.” 

“Frankie, for God sake, it took you six years to come out, right? Six years! Privately and slowly to your family and friends at a pace that worked for you. I was thrown to the wolves the minute I came out of that house. I had no idea what Zankie had become, neither of us did. And I didn’t know what I was or what we were. I was scared, angry, confused, and defensive.  Did I make some mistakes? Yeah I did. A lot of them. I’m human. But come on… give me a break! I’m trying to apologize and see if we can have a fresh start.”

By this time they had moved into the living room Frankie was sitting on the sofa and Zach was across from him in an armchair. Frankie put his hands over his face and tried to gather his thoughts. He felt like he was being pulled back onto a roller coaster that he had no desire to ride.

“Zach,” he finally said, looking up. “The truth is we’ve been through this a hundred times.  These same arguments, same discussions. You feel you deserved more time and privacy to deal with your sexuality. I felt like I gave you the time and space. You wanted me to wait quietly in the wings until you were ready with a decision. I had to stop doing that for the good not only of my career but my emotional well-being. Relationships shouldn’t be this hard. Love shouldn’t be this hard. I appreciate the effort but I think you should just go.”

Zach couldn’t believe it. Frankie was giving up so easily. Zach had been certain that he could convince Frankie to give it another try. He couldn’t believe that not only was Frankie saying no, but he was cold and distant.

“C’mon Frankie. Don’t just send me away because you think it’s too hard. I don’t see you falling in love with anyone else the way you loved me. And vice versa. You have to admit, we had something special, a once-in-a-lifetime love. And I’m here to say I’m ready to fight for it. You will regret it if you send me away.

Frankie looked up at Zach silently for a moment. Zach felt hopeful as he saw a flicker of love and warmth in his eyes before he looked away.

“What did your parents think when you told them you were coming to New York to see me?” Frankie asked, already suspicious he knew the answer.

“Well…” Zach stammered. “I… I didn’t tell them before I left but I emailed my mom today and sort of told her what’s up. I’ll probably speak with her tomorrow. I didn’t have time; I literally decided on the spur of the moment to come here and I had to get everything organized and leave in little more than 12 hours.”

Just as Frankie suspected - Zach was still a coward.

“Zach I’m not sure you’re as ready as you think you are to be with me. I’m done with the waiting game, the keeping it secret game, the closet game…”

“I know Frankie,” Zach interrupted. “No more closet, I promise.”

“But it’s more than that,” Frankie countered. “Are you really _ready_ to be Frankie Grande’s boyfriend? Because here’s what it means. You tell your family, including Grandma, in no uncertain terms that you are gay and that we are together. You ask for their support and blessing but if they refuse, you tell them you hope they will change their minds but until then you will have to limit your contact. You tell them if they are not willing to welcome me in their home with love and acceptance then you will not go either. You tell all of your friends, including the homophobic trash, that you are in love with me and if they can’t accept that or be respectful, you wish them well and cut them out of your life. You move out of Florida and come live in New York with me, find a job, etc. You are willing to go public nationally as Frankie Grande’s boyfriend. I have a brand new TV show coming out next week and I’m on a publicity tour. Even though I don’t have many more interviews, if we become an item I will mention it publicly, because I am almost always asked whether I’m single or not. If CBS or any other entertainment entity finds out Zankie is a thing and wants to interview us as a couple in sort of a “whatever happened to…” segment, you are willing and enthusiastic about doing that with me. The bottom line Zach, is that I’m no longer willing to wait in the wings, be secretly intimate with you, and allow you anymore time to cope with this. I need a MAN who is willing to be out and proud with me. I can’t go backwards. Not anymore. It's all or nothing.”

Zach was silent, trying to digest all that Frankie said. Was he ready for all of that? Could he really give that strong of an ultimatum to his family? Grandma – oh my God, she was not going to be happy and he didn’t know that she would ever be willing to have Frankie in her home. And his friends? Logan especially was never shy about letting the homophobic slurs fly. And yet he always had Zach’s back. Could Zach really just walk away from him? Could he walk away from his life in Florida? Suddenly he was filled with fear and uncertainty. Maybe this had all been a terrible mistake. What was he doing?

Zach stood up suddenly as he hastily wiped a few fallen tears off his cheek. When Frankie looked into his eyes, he knew and his heart sank. All he could see was fear and pain, no heart eyes, no warmth, no love. Zach wasn’t ready. He thought he knew what he wanted but he wasn’t ready.

Zach stumbled over his words as he stood..

“I’m sorry Frankie. I do love you but I … I don’t know if I can do all of that. I’m so sorry, I really am.”

And before he knew it, Zach was gone.

Frankie stared at the front door as it slammed shut. He knew this would happen. He absolutely knew as soon as he and Zach began to talk that Zach would panic. But knowing didn’t make it any easier. He collapsed onto the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably as his heart broke all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the heartbreak at the end... Zach and Frankie have a lot to work out...I'll try to not let too much time go by before the next update!
> 
> Let me know what you think...


	6. Healing Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren to the rescue. Again.

After what seemed like an interminable wait for the elevator during which Zach practically jammed the call button into the wall, he was finally slumped against the back wall as the elevator dropped toward the lobby. His heart was pounding as unshed tears threatened to spill over.

“FUCK” he screamed in the empty shaft. How had it all gone so terribly wrong? He arrived at Frankie’s, determined to get him back in his life and ended up fleeing like the world’s biggest chicken shit. All he wanted now was to get back to AJ’s, pack up his stuff and catch the first flight back to Miami. He’d figure out his next steps after that.

The elevator door opened and Zach dashed out, flinging the front door of the building open and finally escaping out to the street. He gulped in a deep breath of fresh air, then turned to his right and jogged quickly up the street.

“Zach!! Zach!” he heard from behind him. “Wait up! Where are you going?”

Zach turned around to see Lauren chasing him. Damnit she was the last person he wanted to see.  She caught up to him, panting, “Wh- wh- where are you going?” I’ve been waiting outside the building. You said you would text me. What happened? Zach. Please don’t tell me you fucked this up.”

Zach grimaced, “Okay I won’t tell you. But you should just go back and be with Frankie. I’m sorry Lauren. He’s gonna be mad. Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I was sure you had the power to win him over. What happened? He just wasn’t having it?”

“Well…” Zach responded, “Not exactly…”

Lauren reached up and quickly removed Zach’s sunglasses before he could react. His eyes were red and teary.

“Oh no. Zach. Tell me. What happened?" 

“It’s just…” Zach stammered. “I thought I was getting through to him. He seemed to be hearing me but then…”

Zach stopped, starting to get choked up.

“But then what Zach? What happened? Tell me!”

Zach let out a sob, “But then he started saying all these things that I had to be ready for if I want to be _Frankie Grande’s boyfriend_ ,” he said, using air quotes. “Not just that we have to be public and open about our relationship – I expected that. But he said that if my family and friends don’t accept him or us that I have to stop seeing them and limit my contact. And all I could think was I can’t do that. I can’t cut my family out of my life. Especially Peyton –“ Zach stopped unable to continue, as his body shook with sobs and the tears fell.

“Zach,” Lauren said, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Listen to me. Frankie’s not going to make you cut Peyton out of your life.  Or anyone. I’m sure he was saying that to protect himself, to make sure that you were willing to be out and proud to be in a relationship with him.” 

“Of course I would be proud. I love Frankie. But if my family has a hard time accepting our relationship, I can’t just pretend they don’t exist and write them out of my life. That’s not fair.”

“Think about it this way.” Lauren reasoned. “What if you were straight and brought home a girl that was – say Catholic – and your mom or your grandma was really upset because she wasn’t Jewish. But you love this girl and you know you want to be with her. How would you handle it?”

“Well…” Zach paused, “I guess I would explain to them how much I love her and how happy she makes me. And tell them that we will work out the religious thing on our own but that it’s important to me that they accept her because I love her. Yeah… I hear what you’re saying, Strigs.”

“That’s exactly it, Zach,” Lauren responded. “Frankie is your Catholic girl. Yes there’s a little more to it because your family and friends need to understand that you aren’t straight. And you aren’t going to be bringing home a girl – Catholic or otherwise. But Frankie makes you happy. And you love him. It may take some time, but I have faith that the people in your life will come around. YOU are their joy and they are not going to want to lose you. And Peyton – oh my God, that boy loves you so much; he will always be your best friend and nothing or no one will get between you. So don’t worry so much. And don’t believe Frankie when he makes big threats like that. He’s protecting himself. I’ve never known him to fall for a man like he fell for you and to let himself go back to that probably scares the hell out of him. “

“So now what?” Zach asked throwing his arms in the air. “I mean I just fled that apartment like it was on fire and I’m sure he’s devastated and furious – maybe at you too. He won’t even look at me again.”

“So that’s it? You came all this way, wrote all those poems, and went to all this trouble and now you’re just gonna run back to Florida and that big ole closet you’ve built for yourself?”

“He called my poems ‘third grade level.’ He thought they were stupid.” Zach spat out.

“Bullshit. He loved those poems. Trust me. Whatever he said to you just now was out of anger, frustration, and mostly fear. You’re not the only one who’s scared, Zach. You need to communicate with him. Tell him what you told me. Don’t just run out of the apartment and give up so easily. I can assure you that’s exactly what he expected. And you lived right down to those expectations!”

“Well then,” Zach said bitterly, “I guess I should just go fuck myself."

“Oh for God sake, Zach,” Lauren said exasperated, “Enough with the pity party. I swear no one plays victim like you. Pull yourself together because we are going back upstairs and you are going to fix this.”

Lauren linked her arm with his and firmly led him back down the street toward Frankie’s apartment building, explaining exactly what Plan B was going to look like. 

A few moments later, they were outside Frankie’s apartment door.  Lauren dug around her purse to find the house key that Frankie had given her. She hardly ever used it, but this seemed like the right time.

“You wait here,” she instructed Zach. “Let me talk to him first then I’ll come get you.”

Zach nodded and slumped down the wall, sitting on the ground in the hallway as Lauren went in.

 

Zach had been waiting for at least 20 minutes.  He had pulled his phone out and was scrolling through social media, checking his email and playing stupid games, hardly able to concentrate as he worried about how he would handle this.  When Lauren had first gone in, he could hear through the door Frankie sobbing and yelling at Lauren, asking how she could have done that to him.  Zach had cringed, thinking there was no way that Lauren would convince Frankie to let Zach in again. In fact, he wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Lauren herself got kicked out. But their talking had quieted down and he hadn’t been able to hear anything for awhile. So he just waited.

Finally after close to a half hour, the door opened.  Lauren came out and shut the door.  She silently sat down on the ground next to him, looking pretty glum.

“So I guess that’s it,” Zach concluded. “He doesn’t want me to come back in, does he?”

“Well,” Lauren acknowledged, “At first he said no way. He didn’t ever want to see you again in his life or hear your name or think about you. But I calmed him down, told him that he had really scared you with all of his demands, and that you regretted leaving and wanted to try to talk to him again, to explain.”

“So he said okay?” Zach asked.

“He’s willing to hear you out,” Lauren said, “But he says there’s no way that you’ll convince him to get back together. So you have your work cut out for you. It’s up to you Zach. If you want you can just leave and let it go. But if you still love Frankie I’m telling you that this is your last chance.”

Zach took a deep breath, “Okay. I’ll try. I can’t just leave without trying. Or at the very least apologizing and saying goodbye if that’s what it comes to.”

Lauren smiled weakly and leaned over to give him a hug. “I believe in you Zach. And fuck me but I believe in Zankie too. So go ahead and do this. I’m going to the Starbucks down the street. If I don’t hear from either of you within an hour, I’m going home, okay?"

“Okay. Thanks Strigs. I owe you big time.”

“Just save me a front row seat at the wedding,” she joked.

“Deal,” Zach replied.

Lauren stood up and unlocked the door for Zach then headed to the elevator.

Zach took a deep breath and entered Frankie’s apartment for the second time that day.  He headed to the living room and found Frankie sitting on the sofa looking at him with cold empty eyes.

Rather than sitting on the chair across the room, Zach sat down on the sofa next to Frankie. Frankie was surprised and sat up a little straighter, moving back as far as he could. Zach’s proximity unnerved him.

“Frankie, I’m sorry I ran out. I don’t really have an excuse other than I completely panicked.  Some of what you said freaked me out and I handled it poorly. I’m sorry. I know it hurt and angered you and I regret it.”

“Okay,” Frankie said flatly, “Apology accepted. You can go now. Your conscience is clear.”

“I’m not going Frankie. It’s not that simple. Rather than run out of here, I should’ve communicated what it was that scared me so much.”

“Okay, Zach. I’m listening. What part of being in an open gay relationship and supporting and standing up for me to people in your life freaked you out? Because it’s not really negotiable.” 

“Frankie, I have no problem being in a public gay relationship with you. That’s a no brainer to me. I love you, I’ve always loved you, and I’m ready for the world to know that. I promise. No more closet, no more hiding.”

“Okay,” Frankie replied slowly. “Then what’s the problem? Why did you freak out?” 

“I freaked out because you made it sound like you expected me to choose you over my family and friends. That if they don’t roll out the red carpet for you and welcome you with open arms, you want me to turn my back on them. Frankie, I love my family like you love your family. They aren’t perfect by any means, but they are mine and they mean more to me than anything. I am prepared to fight for you and to make them understand how important you are to me, but I’m scared that it may take some time. There may be some uncomfortable moments, some awkward family dinners, or meetings with my friends. I’m gonna need you to be by my side during all of that. And to just be you because I know that once they really get to know you and see how happy you make me, they will come around.”

“Even Grandma?” Frankie asked sarcastically.

“Yes,” Zach laughed, “Even Grandma. Trust me, George will set her straight if she tries to give me a bad time.”

“But what if, say, your Grandma _can’t_ deal with it?” Frankie asked. “And it’s Thanksgiving and they want you to come home but they don’t invite me. And you want to see them because you miss them. What then?”

“Well,” Zach said, “Then I don’t go. Frankie, I’m not going to abandon you for them for a holiday dinner. I’m not going to let them force me to choose between you and them. That would be manipulative and unacceptable. That doesn’t mean I might not go to Florida for a visit on my own at some point. But I will never stop fighting for you and for our relationship. I’m gonna need your help because it will be my mission to have everyone in my life, even the homophobes, come around and accept and love us. Don’t forget. It’s not that their straight son or friend Zach is bringing home a gay boy. It’s that their straight son Zach isn’t actually straight. And they will have to accept and fully understand that as well. You know?”

“But what about moving to New York?” Frankie countered. “You love Florida. You were never willing to leave. What about that?”

“I’m ready to make that move,” Zach assured him. “I haven’t been happy in Florida in a long time. I thought leaving my parents’ house and moving to Miami would be the answer but it hasn’t been. I had a stupid bank job that I hated and the Miami nightlife with Erik and Logan basically sucked. I’ve been miserable. It really won’t be that hard to leave. I’m just gonna have to find a job here I guess.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Frankie assured him. “In fact, I bet we can find something for you to do with the TV show. Or maybe with Netflix. I know a lot of people. You’re smart and talented. It won’t be a problem.”

“So…” Zach said hesitatingly, “Does that mean you’re willing to give me a chance? Does that mean you aren’t gonna throw me out of your apartment?”

Frankie looked at Zach silently for a long moment. “Zach, when I saw your face earlier today, I was furious. Things are going really well in my life. My career is finally taking off in the way I’ve always wanted, I have amazing friends and a family I cherish. I haven’t really had much going on in the romance department, but I had decided that was fine because I can date when I want and not deal with all the ups and downs of a relationship.”

“I was fine. Or I thought I was till I saw your face. But as soon as I saw you, I knew I had never _really_ gotten over you like I thought I had. And that pissed me off! Because I like to be in control. But with you I’m fucked. I’m never in control. It scares me so much. Those poems had started giving me feels but I figured they were meaningless because you were in Florida and that would never change. But then there you were in New York. In my space. And it scared me and infuriated me.”

“You mean my third grade level poems?” Zach asked sarcastically.

“Yeah,” Frankie chuckled, “Sorry about that. That was nasty. I was annoyed. I actually sort of loved the poems. To be honest, I was always jealous that Nicole and Victoria got poems in the Big Brother house, but not me your actual showmance!”

Zach laughed, “Yeah, you’re probably right. You were definitely overdue for a Zach Rance _Roses Are Red_ special.”

They both fell into an awkward silence, not sure where to go from there. Finally Zach tentatively reached out for Frankie’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Frankie looked down at their joined hands, then looked up at Zach.

Zach asked shyly, “Can I kiss you now?”

Rather than answer, Frankie just leaned toward Zach and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. After a few seconds he pulled back and looked at Zach whose eyes were closed and lips swollen. Zach’s eyes fluttered open as he wrapped his free hand around Frankie’s neck and kissed him again, this time more insistently.

Frankie moaned as he lay back on the sofa, Zach falling on top of him.  Frankie’s lips parted and Zach eagerly explored his mouth with his tongue, remembering the feel and taste of Frankie’s kisses. Frankie ran his hands down Zach’s back, reaching under the hem of his shirt and teasing Zach’s skin with his cool fingers.

Suddenly Zach broke the kiss and pulled away, a look of concern on his face.

“Zach, what’s wrong? Frankie asked, alarmed.

“I just thought of one other thing. It’s a deal breaker.” Zach said seriously.

“What? What is it?” 

“I’m willing to move away from Florida, from my friends and my family. But not Tiger. I have to bring Tiger with me. I hope you’re okay with that.” Zach said nervously.

Frankie laughed, “Is that all? Oh my God, I thought you were going to say that you wanted your mom to live with us or something! Of course Tiger can come. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now can we get back to what we were just doing?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Zach joked. “How about if we move to your room?”

Zach stood up and reached down to help Frankie to his feet. As they walked into Frankie’s room, Zach pulled his phone out and began typing a text. 

“Who on earth are you texting at a time like this?” Frankie asked as he snuggled up behind Zach, kissing his neck and grabbing his ass.

“Texting Lauren. How’s this?” Zach said, showing Frankie his phone.

_You can go home now. Frankie's leading me to his bedroom as I type this. Thanks for everything, ily!_

Frankie laughed and reached out to push the send button, then took Zach’s phone out of his hand and put it on his dresser as he led Zach toward his bed.

Frankie pulled Zach close, kissing his neck, then nibbled on his ear. He leaned in and whispered with a growl,

_Roses are red._

_Violet's are blue._

_Lie down on my bed_

_Cuz Imma fuck you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will pick up right where this leaves off. Hope you enjoyed!!


	7. Taking Charge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically just sex. Because why not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picks up right where the last chapter left off.

Frankie crashed his lips onto Zach’s, kissing him intently as he held his body close squeezing his ass and pushing up against him. After leaving Zach breathless, he gently pushed him down on the bed. Zach reached out for Frankie, but he stood just out of Zach’s reach. Frankie was feeling giddy. Just a short time earlier, he had been shocked and angry, certain that Zach would disappoint him again. But after hearing what he had to say, Frankie felt something he never thought he would again when it came to his relationship with Zach: Hope.  He smiled down at him as he started a very slow, seductive striptease, first taking off his t-shirt, running his hands over his tight abs and erect nipples, then slowly pushing his pajama pants down till they fell to the ground, leaving him standing in just a pair of very skimpy tight black underwear. He ran his hands over his cock then did a sexy dance, turning around and gyrating his ass just out of Zach’s reach.

Suddenly Zach sat up and grabbed Frankie’s wrist, pulling him down to the bed, quickly lying on top of him and pinning his arms over his head.  Frankie looked up at him in shock wondering what had just happened.

“First off,” Zach said in a sexy whisper as he kissed Frankie’s neck, “You might want to start out with something a little sexier than a torn t-shirt and old pajama pants if you want your striptease to have the full desired effect. Not that I’m complaining mind you, because no matter what you’re wearing, you’re hot as fuck.”

“And secondly,” Zach continued as he scraped his teeth on Frankie’s skin then sucked on a particularly sensitive spot below his ear, “You said earlier that you don’t like it when you’re not in control. Well, we need to work on that,” Zach continued as he pressed his erect dick into Frankie’s groin, “Because I’m taking over. You’re gonna lie back and – despite your somewhat decent poetry skills - you were in fact wrong because _I_ am going to fuck _you_ , not the other way around.”

Frankie moaned, leaning his head back with his eyes closed, ceding control and feeling both aroused and a tiny bit nervous. Zach continued torturing him with nibbles and bites, finally moving to Frankie’s mouth and joining their lips in a full passionate kiss. Zach let go of Frankie’s wrists and Frankie immediately wrapped his arms around Zach, tangling one of his hands in his hair as he tried to bring him even closer, the other hand moving down Zach’s back and reaching under the waistband of his shorts, teasing the top of his ass.  He grabbed the hem of Zach’s shirt, attempting unsuccessfully to lift it over his head.

Zach sat up, his knees on either side of Frankie as he rocked his ass onto Frankie’s groin, eliciting a soft groan.  He took off his shirt, looking down at Frankie with a smile.  Frankie reached up and ran his hands over Zach’s abs.

“Your body looks amazing. Still working out apparently?”

“Everyday,” Zach confirmed. “I’ve been a major fuck up in a lot of parts of my life, but working out is one good habit I’ve kept up.” 

“You’re not a fuck up, Zach. Stop saying that,” Frankie said softly, reaching for Zach’s arm and pulling him down, back into an intimate kiss.  Zach let the kiss progress slowly, his mind fuzzy as his body responded to every touch and caress. He finally pulled his mouth away and worked his way down Frankie’s body, kissing his neck, then sucking on his nipples until they were hard under his tongue.  Frankie whimpered quietly with his eyes closed, absorbing the sensations. He had a fleeting thought how crazy it was that when he woke up that morning, he had no idea that the next time he returned to his bed, Zach would be with him.

Zach kissed his way down Frankie’s stomach, then slipped his underwear off, taking Frankie’s hard cock in his hand and squeezing it gently.  He brought his mouth down and licked up each side of Frankie’s dick, circling his tongue around the tip licking away the precum that was already leaking. Frankie thrust his hips up toward Zach, trying only somewhat successfully to form words, “Zach, please… I nee… please…”

Finally Zach took Frankie’s cock into his mouth, remembering the feel of it, the weight, and how turned on he got every time he gave Frankie head. As Zach continued to work on Frankie’s cock with enthusiasm, he could tell that he wasn’t going to last long. He moved his free hand toward Frankie’s ass and circled his finger around his rim. Frankie was moaning and pushing Zach’s head down, trying to get his cock even further down Zach’s throat. Zach pulled his mouth off of Frankie’s cock, looking up into his eyes. “Come for me baby,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth back onto his cock and his finger continued to tease Frankie’s rim.  A moment later, Frankie thrust his dick down Zach’s throat, letting out a loud groan as he shot his load. 

Zach licked him clean, then moved back up his body and joined their lips in another kiss.  Zach could feel Frankie’s rapid heart beat as he struggled to catch his breath and slow his body back down.  He just kept kissing Frankie, rubbing his hard cock against his thigh, still waiting for his own release. 

After a few minutes when his body function had almost returned to normal, Frankie reached down and unbuttoned Zach’s shorts, pushing both his shorts and boxers off.  Frankie wrapped his hand around Zach’s cock moving it rhythmically up and down as they continued to kiss. Zach was lost in the feeling, moving in tandem with Frankie's hand, almost losing focus and letting go. But then he remembered what he intended to do and forced himself to pulled away.

“I said I was going to fuck you and I meant it,” Zach whispered. “Turn over baby.” Zach reached over to Frankie’s bedside table, remembering exactly where he kept the condoms and lube. 

Frankie turned onto his belly, feeling a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty as he let Zach run the show. Even when Zach had topped in the past, Frankie was usually the one setting the pace and controlling the action. This new side of Zach was both exciting and unnerving. 

Frankie heard the lid of the lube bottle click open, then a moment later jumped slightly as Zach’s cold finger touched his rim.  Zach leaned down, kissing the back of Frankie’s neck as he gently but firmly pushed his finger into Frankie’s tight hole. Frankie hissed a little at the initial pain but relaxed almost immediately as Zach’s finger moved around working to stretch him open.

Frankie recalled the first time they had made love and he had to walk Zach through all the steps. Zach had been so nervous that he was going to hurt Frankie that he had a hard time pushing that first finger through.  Now however, Zach was a pro. He was confident in his ability with just the right amount of authority and gentleness as his pushed a second finger in. Frankie had a fleeting thought that there must have been some other men in the picture in addition to all the pussies he was allegedly slicing in Miami, but his thoughts were interrupted as Zach brushed his finger over Frankie’s prostate, causing him to cry out as he thrust upwards, his cock beginning to twitch again, even after he’d just had a massive orgasm.  Zach pushed a third finger in, continuing to scissor his fingers and stretch Frankie out, hitting his prostate repeatedly.

Zach took his time, making sure that Frankie was ready. By the time Zach pulled his fingers out to rip open the condom wrapper, Frankie was hard again, whimpering into the pillow.

Zach rolled the condom onto his cock and coated it with lube before leaning down and flicking Frankie’s ear with his warm tongue whispering, “Turn over, babe. I want to see your face.”

Frankie turned onto his back, pulling his legs up, grabbing behind his knees.  Zach lined himself up, using one hand to balance himself as the other hand guided his cock into Frankie’s hole.  He pushed in all the way then stilled himself as Frankie adjusted to the girth.  It took everything in Zach’s power to stay still.  It felt so amazing being back inside Frankie. He was tight and warm and everything Zach remembered.

Finally Frankie pushed back toward Zach, telling him it was okay to move. Zach pulled halfway out then thrust back in. He couldn’t believe how amazing it felt. He had forgotten. Nothing compared to this, nothing. He lost all rational thought as his body tingled and his vision was reduced to flashes of light. He bent down and kissed Frankie, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and tasting all of him as his cock plunged deeper and deeper.  Frankie wrapped one arm around Zach’s neck holding him close, his body absorbing the thrusts, feeling like he was on fire, the warmth spreading through his abdomen and down his legs.

Zach’s thrusts became more erratic as he felt his orgasm building.  He pulled away from Frankie’s mouth and dropped his head, unable to keep his eyes open as the feeling overwhelmed him.  Frankie reached down and grabbed his own cock, timing his strokes with Zach’s thrusts.  Zach finally let out a load moan as he forcefully thrust a final time, filling the condom. The final thrust brushed over Frankie’s prostate yet again, and he cried out as he came all over his hand, his second enormous orgasm in less than thirty minutes.

Zach fell onto Frankie panting and sweating as his body settled down.  They were both speechless, only the sound of their harsh breathing filling the room. Finally Zach pulled out and removed the condom, heading to the bathroom to dispose of it and to grab a warm damp washcloth. He came back and cleaned both himself and Frankie, taking special care to make sure all the stickiness was gone. Frankie watched him silently, smiling at Zach’s tenderness and concentration.

Zach looked up at Frankie, seeing the smile.

“What?” he asked accusingly.

“You’re just so adorable,” Frankie said. “Taking care of me and making sure I’m completely clean. It’s cute as fuck.”

“Fraannnkiiiee. Stahhp,” Zach said as he dropped the washcloth onto the floor and lay down next to Frankie, putting his head on his chest and throwing his arm over Frankie’s waist, holding him close. Frankie mindlessly ran his hand through Zach’s unruly soft hair. Zach closed his eyes and hummed remembering how much he loved when Frankie touched him so affectionately. 

“Well that was amazing,” Zach finally said after a few minutes of silence, stating the obvious.

“Mmmhmm,” Frankie agreed absentmindedly.

Zach raised his head quizzically. “Mmmhmm? That’s all you have to say? C’mon Frankie please tell me that was mind blowing for you too right? Because … holy shit!”

“Of course it was amazing Zach. Sex has never been our problem. It’s always been great, off the charts, and unforgettable. Sometimes I think it’s been the glue that has kept us from ever truly losing each other. I just hope the other stuff outside of our physical relationship can be as strong. I need that to happen.”

“It will be,” Zach said, sounding like he wanted it to be true but he wasn’t totally sure.

“What’s wrong? You don’t sound as confident as you did before seducing me,” Frankie said only half joking.

“It’s nothing,” Zach said, pausing. “It’s just… I’m really nervous about talking to my parents and dealing with whatever their reaction is. Don’t get me wrong; nothing they say will make me change my mind. But as much as I seem to love conflict and chaos, I really don’t like it when it comes to my family life. My mom can be a pretty tough broad and as I’ve told you, my dad... well, he can just be a total ass.”

“I know,” Frankie sympathized. “I know how much you love your family and want them to be part of your life, our life. I’m gonna help you get through this Zach. Okay? We can even call them together if you want. But at the end of the day, it’s your life and you need to be true to yourself and do what makes you happy. If they truly love you, which I firmly believe they do, they will come around.” 

“I hope you’re right,” Zach said doubtfully. 

“I know I’m right. I also know that I can’t keep my eyes open for another minute and my balls are fucking killing me. I need to sleep, my little sex monster.”

“Mmm… me too,” Zach replied sleepily. “I can already tell I’ll sleep better here in your bed than I have in three years. I love you Frankie.”

“Let’s just call it our bed.  I love you back, baby.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for any feedback you'd like to leave.
> 
> Should I keep going? Or end the story here? I'm undecided...


	8. Zankily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter as Zankie lets the world know they are official.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm wrapping this up with a nice happy ending. I hope some day that Zach and Frankie can follow suit!

Zach was nursing his second cup of coffee, still in disbelief that he was in _The Today Show_ green room. And it wasn’t green at all.  But there were lots of pictures to look at hanging on the wall and a table filled with breakfast pastries, bagels, fruit, protein bars, and more.

The alarm at Frankie’s had gone off at the ungodly hour of 4:30 am.  NBC was sending a limo for them at 5:15 so they could arrive in time for hair and make up and prepping for Frankie’s appearance to promote his show. Zach couldn’t believe he had agreed to come with Frankie and to make a brief appearance as well. The whole thing was surreal.

In the few days since he and Frankie had reconciled and rekindled their romance, much had happened.  On Sunday, as Zach promised in his email to his mom, he phoned home.  Jill had been tense and clearly unhappy when the conversation began, wanting details about how he had lost his job and what on earth compelled him to rush off to New York on a whim.

“Your airline ticket must’ve cost a fortune Zachary,” she snapped.

With Frankie by his side, holding his hand, Zach ignored that accusation and asked his mom to put the call on speaker so that he could speak to both her and Kevin.  Zach explained clearly and calmly what had happened.

“Like I said in my email, I lost my job because I had an argument with my supervisor. It was not my proudest moment and I regret my behavior. I’ve already sent an email to Rick, apologizing and saying that I understood why he had to let me go and that I deserved to lose my job for being disrespectful. As to why I came to New York, well… I did a lot of soul searching the day I was fired. I admitted to myself that I was very unhappy, even living this ideal bachelor life in Miami with two of my closest friends. To be honest, I felt out of place and more like an observer rather than a participant.

“I also realized that I really missed Frankie. A lot. I mean let’s face it, you both know that our relationship had crossed the line from platonic to, well… not platonic as soon as we were out of the Big Brother house. But since I still identified as straight and faced so much pressure and so many questions from everyone, including you guys, my friends, and all of the fans, I just ran away from my feelings and from someone that I loved very much. The thing is… I’m not straight. I’m not even bi. I’m gay. I’ve known for some time now but just didn’t want to face it or own up to it. But it’s true. And I’m not ashamed of it or unhappy about it. It’s just who I am and who I’ve always been. I hope you both can appreciate and accept that.”

There was an awkward silence on the phone. Frankie squeezed Zach’s hand and met his eyes, imploring him to be patient and wait for a response.

Finally Jill spoke up. “Are you sure Zachary? I mean I’m not saying I don’t believe you or I’m in denial, but you assured us multiple times that you were straight. Are you sure you’re not going to just decide in a month that this was all an experiment and now you’re ready to be straight again?”

“That’s not how it works, Mom,” Zach explained trying to stay calm. “What I’m saying is that I AM gay, I have always BEEN gay, and it’s not going to change. I was the one in denial about it and so deeply closeted that I had basically convinced myself I was straight, even though I did experiment with men in college and have been with some men since Frankie and I lost touch a couple years ago.”

At that, Frankie raised his eyebrows at Zach as if to say, “Oh _really_?!” Zach shrugged his shoulders with a smile.  Frankie just winked knowingly. This did not come as a surprise; Zach’s technique in bed was too good for him to have been out of the loop for that long!

“This is ridiculous, Zach,” Kevin snarled. “This is SO like you. You fuck up your life then run off looking for another life instead of repairing the damage you left behind. But you’ll be back. You always come running back. Just don’t think the revolving door is open for y…”

“Kevin, stop!” Jill scolded. “This is not helpful.” 

Kevin stopped talking, but Zach knew what his next words would’ve been. _Don’t plan to move back home. You’re not welcome here. You’re a fuck up. You can’t do anything right._ Something to that effect.

Frankie could see the defeat begin to creep into Zach’s eyes as his body almost folded into itself.  He reached his free hand to Zach’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“I love you,” he mouthed silently. “It’s okay. Stay strong.”

Zach remembered what Frankie had said as they prepared for this phone call and he took a deep breath, then recited the words Frankie had suggested.

“I’m sorry you feel that way Dad. I’m sorry if what has happened is a disappointment to you. But I am a 27-year old man and I can assure you that I know exactly what I am doing and who I am. I hope that you are able to understand that and to accept me, and more importantly to accept my relationship with Frankie. You know how much I love you guys. There is nothing more important to me than family. But Frankie is my family too.”

Jill finally spoke again, sounding a little calmer and if nothing else, resigned. “Zach, this will take us some time to get used to. It’s not that we have anything against Frankie. It’s just not who we envisioned for you as… well, as your life partner." 

“Jill,” Frankie piped up, “I don’t mean to shock you, but I’m here with Zach too –“

“Oh my God, Zachary!” Jill exclaimed. “You could’ve told us that Frankie was listening! I’m mortified!”

“Don’t be,” Frankie reassured her. “It’s okay. I just want to say that I understand that this is a lot to digest. And I am fully aware that you probably always imagined Zach married to a nice Jewish girl, so this just throws you off your equilibrium.  I want you to know this: I love Zach with all my being. I always have. You know, he’s told me how you two met and knew within weeks that you were meant to be together, soul mates, life partners. I think I knew that about Zach too, which was scary as fuck since he kept insisting he was straight. It hasn’t been such a quick easy path for us as it was for you two, but after four years, we both just _know_ that we are meant to be together. I am so grateful that he had the courage to come to me and win me back. It’s truly the loveliest thing that’s ever happened to me and I feel incredibly blessed. You both raised an amazing man and I’m the luckiest guy in the world that he fell in love with me.”

Zach looked at Frankie with tear-filled eyes of gratitude as he took a shaky breath, waiting for his parents’ reply.

“Well thank you for saying that Frankie,” Jill said, “You’re right, this is a lot to take in. But Zachary, you are our son and always will be. We love you and we will all figure this out together okay? Frankie, if you love Zach then we certainly have something very important in common.”

They had talked for a few more minutes, Zach explaining that he and Tiger would be moving in with Frankie but that they planned to make regular trips to Florida. He also reassured them that a friend of Erik’s was planning to move into the apartment when Zach moved out and take over his portion of the lease. Frankie told them excitedly that he had made a couple phone calls and Zach had an interview set up with Netflix; they were very interested in finding a position for him with the company. Zach also told his parents that he and Frankie would be talking to both Peyton and to Grandma & George later that day.

Those phone calls had gone pretty well. Peyton wasn’t even fazed by the announcement at all. He always liked Frankie and was sad that Zach had lost touch with him. His first question was, “Do I get to walk down the aisle with Ariana if she’s one of the bridesmaids?” Frankie laughed and told him absolutely that would happen.

Grandma had been predictably tight lipped at Zach’s announcement but George piped in that he really didn’t care where Zach stuck his dick, he just hoped he was happy. And he made Zach promise to visit with Frankie on a regular basis.

So now here they were a few days later, at _The Today Show_. Zach was watching the screen from the green room as Savannah Guthrie sat across from Frankie. They were chatting pleasantly during the commercial break. A moment later, the director started counting down as the commercial wrapped up.

Savannah: _I’m here with Frankie Grande, Broadway performer, former cast member of Big Brother, philanthropist, actor and singer – and also the older brother of pop star sensation Ariana Grande. Welcome Frankie, happy to have you here!_

Frankie: _Hiiiiii Savannah! I’m so happy to be here! I’ve watched_ The Today Show _for as long as I can remember!_

S: _So you have a new show coming out on Netflix called_ Straight Up with Frankie. _The first season of 13 episodes will be released tomorrow. Tell us about it._

F: _Yes! I’m so excited! The show is basically about my life. I play Frankie, a struggling gay Broadway performer with an eclectic group of friends all trying to make it in the New York entertainment industry. It’s funny but poignant. And every episode will have a musical number in it. Some of my closest real life friends are in the cast and it’s been a blast pulling it together._

S: _So is it like the former show_ Smash _?_

F: _No not really. I loved_ Smash _by the way! But that was a drama and it was also focused around the production of a singular Broadway show. My show, even though it revolves around Broadway performers, is more about a quirky group of friends, their day-to-day lives and the funny predicaments they get into. And we film it here in New York, which is so great._

S: _So what IS life like for a working performer on Broadway or just in the industry in general? How are things for you? Do you have time for a personal life?_

F: _Well it’s funny you should ask that, Savannah. A week ago, I would’ve told you that I date some but that I’m so focused on my career I really don’t have time for a relationship. However, I had an interesting weekend and, well, I’m actually now very much involved with someone from my past. Someone, by the way, who my fans are probably quite familiar with._

S: _(laughing) Well now that our viewers are on the edge of their seats, how about you fill us in?_

F: _Well, when I was on Big Brother in 2014, I had sort of a showmance-bromance with a man named Zach Rance. Who was straight. Or so he said. But we had an instantaneous connection and were inseparable while we were on the show. We became known as Zankie and had quite a large fan base.  After the show ended, we went through some ups and downs and eventually lost touch. Anyway, long story short, Zach recently realized that he is very much NOT straight and last week he came to New York from Florida to surprise me and win me back. It was quite the romantic gesture and he swept me off my feet, literally with poems and flowers!_

S: _So you’re saying that Zankie is official?_

F: _Yes! He’s here in the green room watching right now._

S: _Well how about we bring him out?_

Zach took a deep breath as he followed the production assistant out of the green room and onto the set. He plastered on a large smile as he went to meet Savannah, greeting her with a warm hug, then joining Frankie on the couch.  Frankie grabbed his hand, beaming at him with so much love that Zach immediately lost all of his nervousness. 

“So Zach,” Savannah started, “Frankie says that Zankie is official. Is that true.”

“It definitely is, Savannah,” Zach replied with a smile. “It took us awhile to get to this point but I think we both realize that we were just meant to be together.” 

“Give us the short version of the love story,” Savannah encouraged.

“Well, I went into Big Brother identifying as straight. But the truth was that I did have questions about my sexuality; I just wasn’t ready to deal with them at that time. When I first saw Frankie in the Big Brother house, I honestly thought he was one of the most beautiful, sexiest people I’d ever met. And that was sort of hard for me to process. Anyway, one feature of Big Brother is that there are cameras on us 24-7 and many fans pay a subscription fee to watch the live feeds all summer. As a cast member, after awhile you sort of forget the cameras are around. And apparently I didn’t do a very good job of hiding my attraction to Frankie. Anyway, we had a lot of drama and angst after the show ended. Frankie and I did sort of date privately on and off but then eventually ended it. Recently I realized that not only am I gay but that I never was going to find anyone like Frankie again. So I came to New York last week and surprised him. And eventually convinced him that I was the love of his life and he’d be crazy to let me go!”

Savannah laughed, “What a delightful story! Congratulations to both of you. And all of you Zankie fans that are still out there – this is your day to celebrate!”

“Frankie, I believe we have a clip of the show, do you want to set it up?” she continued.

Frankie described the scene, then the clip was shown. The interview ended with Savannah wishing them good luck and making Frankie promise to come back again.

 

Shortly thereafter, Zach and Frankie were in the limo headed back to Frankie’s apartment.  Zach pulled out his phone. 

“Let’s see if Zankie being canon has hit Twitter yet!”

He was only scrolling for a moment before he started chuckling.

“Yup, people were definitely watching. I’m seeing a lot of _hashtag_ ZankieAF. I guess the word is out.”

“I guess so,” Frankie replied, leaning in toward Zach to look at his phone.  “There’s no escaping now, my love. I hope you’re ready for this!”

Zach put his arm around Frankie’s shoulder and pulled him closer, “SO ready!”

Frankie looked at him with a loving smile and Zach just smirked then joined their lips in a soft kiss.

“Why is it every time you kiss me, even when it’s just a peck, I want to rip your clothes off?” Frankie mused in a sultry whisper. 

“Because you just can’t get enough of the Zach Attack, let's face it,” Zach joked.

“Ha, Zach Attack I can live without. But Zach Rance is my new religion. And it doesn’t hurt that you are hot as fuck. I will never get tired of looking at you."

Zach blushed, “Frankie, staaahhhp!”

“Never!” Frankie answered, as his hand crept under Zach’s shirt and he ran his fingers lightly over Zach’s firm abs.

“I love you too,” Zach whispered. “But you’d better stop or this limo driver is going to get a show he never anticipated!”

Frankie winked but pulled his hand out and just leaned onto Zach’s shoulder. They’d be home in a few minutes and Frankie was already imagining what he was going to do to Zach the minute they walked in the apartment. Maybe even starting in the elevator…”

Frankie’s fantasy was interrupted when Zach started talking again, “This will sound corny as fuck but I feel like my life is finally beginning.  And even though I know there will be bumps along the way, if you’re by my side, I have faith everything is going to work out.”

“It will work out. Absolutely. There’s no other option.” Frankie assured him.

The limo arrived at the apartment and Frankie practically yanked Zach out of the car. 

“What’s the rush Frankie? Relax!” 

“Lauren is coming over in 45 minutes to help get organized for tomorrow’s viewing party,” Frankie explained as he led Zach quickly into the building, “But we have a lot to do beforehand.”

“Like what?” Zach asked. “You didn’t tell me about anything happening between now and then.”

“Oh, I’ve got plans, Ranceypants.” Frankie replied as his hand slid down Zach's waist to grab his ass. “They involve you, me, handcuffs, and the can of whipped cream in the fridge… now get that sweet ass in the elevator.” 

Zach didn’t have to be asked twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story. Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still not sure where this story is going tbh! But it's been very cathartic to write so far!! Let me know what you think - comments are always welcome and keep me motivated.


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